The FIS World Cup is taking a break for the 2025 World Championships in Trondheim, Norway - February 27th to March 9th. Nordic World Championships happens every 2 years, and includes 3 Nordic Disciplines - Cross Country Skiing, Ski Jumping and Nordic Combine. Exciting this year, the Paralympic Nordic World Championships will be also occurring in Trondheim at the same time.

The World Cup (you can read more about the differences of World Cup and World Champs in The Skiing Index) has a smaller field, represented by less countries, but this year’s World Championships represents 60 countries and Trondheim is expecting 130,000 spectators over the 11 days.

*Minnesota Native Alayna Sonnesyn (Photo by Nordic Focus)*

Where and Why to Watch

You can watch these athletes live or on demand at https://skiandsnowboard.live. While it is annoying to have another subscription, it is so important to the success of Nordic Skiing to show advisors, streaming services and Nordic governing bodies that the U.S. is interested in Nordic Skiing. World Cup and World Championship races used to be shown on Peacock, but it was dropped due to viewing numbers. Subscribing and viewing Professional Nordic Ski races is a great way for individuals passionate about the sport to help the sport grow in the U.S.

*Jessie Diggins, Rosie Brennan, Hailey Swirbul and Julia Kern after their third place team-relay result. (NordicFocus)*

Who to watch

The U.S. World Championship Team was named February 7th, 2025 and consists of 15 Athletes. Some athletes have already stated that they will decline their nomination to compete at the NCAA (detailed below).

Many athletes do not receive a livable income from Cross Country Skiing. Engagement on social media (Follows, Likes, Comments, Sharing) is important for U.S. Cross Country Skiers to receive sponsors and payments for their skiing, in this age. Show your support to U.S. Cross Country Skiing by following these athletes.

Skiers are listed by Name - Hometown (Current Club Team, College Team)

Midwest Skiers to Watch:

Jessie Diggins - Afton, MN (Stratton Mountain School Elite Team)

The American Skier who needs no introduction, as the current World Cup Overall Leader, she is the athlete to watch across most events. Diggins currently has 6 World Championship medals to her name, including a Gold from the 2023 10k Freestyle, and a Bronze in the Team Sprint with Julia Kern. While Diggins has been known to try every championship race throughout her career, in her later years, she has been more strategic about what races she starts, and with a recent plantar fasciitis injury, watch her be calculated and lean towards skate races in this World Championships.

Alayna Sonnesyn - Plymouth, MN (Team Birkie, University of Vermont)

This will be Sonnesyn’s first World Championships, and expect to see her to do well in the Freestyle races due to her success in World Cup Freestyle Sprints this year and her history of success in Freestyle Distance Races (Including several American Birkebeiner wins). Sonnesyn is relatively a good All-Around Skier.

Zak Ketterson - Bloomington, MN (Team Birkie, Northern Michigan University)

This is Ketterson’s first World Championships after almost 3 full seasons of racing on the World Cup. This year, Ketterson placed 14th in the Cogne Classic Sprint and 15th in the Falun Freestyle 15k, so keep him as a wild card in the competitive and young U.S. Men’s Team.

Kevin Bolger - Minocqua, WI (Team Birkie, University of Utah)

Bolger was a late nomination to the team, after stellar results in the Swedish National Championships, and the Falun World Cup. Bolger is a long-time veteran on the U.S. Ski Team, sporting a career-best result came in a sprint race in the 2022 Dresden, GER, where he finished sixth. Bolger has found the most amount of success in sprinting but has also been performing well in distance races this year.

*Scott Patterson, Rosie Brennan, Zak Ketterson, and Jessie Diggins after winning the first World Cup Mixed Relay gold medal (Nordic Focus)*

The rest of the U.S. Nominated Team:

Gus Schumacher - Anchorage, AK (Alaska Pacific University, University of Alaska Anchorage)

Heading into his 3rd World Champs, Schumacher is the next best chance for the U.S. to win a World Championship’s race, besides Diggins. Schumacher famously won the Minneapolis World Cup’s 10k Skate race last season, and is just coming off of a gutsy 2nd place in Falun’s 20k Freestyle Mass Start in February 2025. Schumacher could be one to watch in both the Skiathlon and 50k.

Julia Kern - Waltham, MA (Stratton Mountain School Elite Team, Dartmouth College)

Kern has been slowly on the rise on the International Level, especially in sprinting, and while she had a slow start to the season, she has been gaining confidence and sprint heats over the last couple of World Cup Races. Kern joined up with Diggins in 2023 to win Bronze, and expect her to be in the running to join the U.S. Team Sprint again this year. Keep an eye out for her in the Skate Sprint and Team Relay.

Ben Ogden - Carbondale, CO (Landgrove, VT, Stratton Mountain School Elite Team, University of Vermont)

Ogden has become a delight in the Scandinavian Media, and I could see him making some waves at this World Champs. Heading into his 3rd World Championships, Ogden has been on the edge of being one of the best in both Distance and Sprint Freestyle races, including a 2025 Podium in the Les Rousses 10k Freestyle, and a 3rd in a Tour de Ski Sprint last season.

Rosie Brennan - Anchorage, Ak (Alaska Pacific University, Dartmouth college)

Brennan has been having a tough year compared to most (quote about her World Championships Prep in a NordicInsights Article), but is known for being a consistent skier across the season and has consistency across the last 5 World Championships. In 2023 she had a 5th place in the 30k Mass Start, and placed 7th in the Sprint.

JC Schoonmaker - Tahoe City, CA (Alaska Pacific University, University of Alaska Anchorage)

Schoonmaker is heading into his 3rd World Champs, with a focus on the Sprint, having made 3 Sprint Finals in the last 2 seasons, and finishing 3rd in the Östersund Classic Sprint last season. The only catch is of Schoonmaker’s top 7 World Cup Performances 6 were in the Classic Technique, so we will have to see if Schoonmaker can make the switch to this World Champ’s Skate Sprint.

Zanden McMullen - Anchorage, AK (Alaska Pacific University)

McMullen is a fun skier to watch in the distance races, as he has steadily been climbing the rankings with gutsy performances. McMullen boasts a 7th place in the December 2024 Ruka 20k Freestyle Mass Start, and 17th in the 2025 Tour de Ski Skiathlon.

Sophia Laukli - Yarmouth, ME (Aker-Daelie, University of Utah)

Laukli was nominated for her 3rd World Championships Team and will likely be showcased in the skate distance races. There is no doubt that Laukli is an expert climber, with 2 podiums on the Alp de Cermis (The last stage of the Tour de Ski which is skiing up an alpine hill) and being ranked as one of the best trail runners in the world, but in order to get on the World Championship’s Podium, she will either have to finesse her finishing speed or break the field dramatically on the uphills.

Jack Young - Jay, VT (Craftsbury Green Racing Project, Colby College)

Young is a first time World Championship nomination, and while he has only been racing on the World Cup for a short time (first WC start was last season in Canmore), he has already seen a lot of success in both Sprint Qualifications and Sprint heats. Young has reached the Semi-Finals in Davos this season, finishing in 12th, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he rose to the occasion and did well in the Sprint at World Champs. After competing at World Champs, Young plans on returning to the U.S. to race at the NCAA Champs.

Kate Oldham - Carbondale, CO (Montana State University)

Oldham, another NCAA Skier for Montana State University has accepted her World Championship’s spot and will attempt to compete in both these Championships and NCAAs (quote in Nordic Insights). She has been having a breakout season with a win at the U.S. National Championships in the 10k Freestyle, 16th in the 10k Freestyle World Cup Race in Cogne, Italy and 12th in the 10k Freestyle at the U23 World Championships. Watch her to compete in the Skate Sprint before flying to Hanover for NCAAs.

Luke Jager - Anchorage, AK (Alaska Pacific University, University of Utah)

Jager’s second World Championships nominations come after a series of podiums at U.S. Nationals and U.S. Supertours. Jager is a successful distance athlete, looking to crack into the top 20 in International Races (best result is 21st at the Les Rousses 20k Classic Mass Start this past January).

John Steel Hagenbuch - Ketchum, ID (Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, Dartmouth College)

Hagenbuch declined his World Champ start to compete at his team’s (Dartmouth) home NCAA Championships after a successful season of U.S. National Championship and Supertour Podiums and wins.

Kendall Kramer - Fairbanks, AK (Alaska Pacific University, University of Alaska Fairbanks)

Kramer is an NCAA skier from the University of Alaska Fairbanks who decided to decline her World Championship spot to compete at the NCAA Championships at Dartmouth College (quote from Nordic Insights). This was Kramer’s first World Championships Nomination.

*Zak Ketterson in a 2024 Minneapolis World Cup Heat (Photo by StarTribune)*

When to watch and what you’re watching (cEntral Time)

Wednesday February 26th

8:30 am - Women’s 7.5 Individual Start Classic

10:30 am Men’s 7.5 Individual Start Classic

Thursday February 27th

7:30 am - Skate Sprint

Saturday March 1st

9:00 am Men’s 20k Skiathlon Classic/Freestyle

Sunday March 2nd

9:00 am Women’s 20k Skiathlon Classic/Freestyle

Tuesday March 4th

8:00 am Men’s 10k Individual Start Classic

10:30 am Women’s 10k Individual Start Classic

Wednesday March 5th

9:30 am Team Sprint Classic

Thursday March 6th

7:30 am Men’s 4 x 7.5k Relay Classic + Freestyle

Friday March 7th

9:00 am Women’s 4 x 7.5k Relay Classic + Freestyle

Saturday March 8th

6:30 am Men’s 50k Freestyle

Sunday March 9th

7:30 am Women’s 50k Freestyle

Follow the World Championships with Erin Moening