From April to July 2025, IFSC Lead World Cup competitions have taken place in Wujiang, China; Bali, Indonesia; Innsbruck, Austria; Chamonix, France; and Alcobendas, Spain. With just one step left, the races for the women’s and men’s Lead World Cup titles are still far from being decided.

MCNEICE IN THE LEAD, SEO FOLLOWS UP CLOSE

Erin McNeice of Great Britain and Seo Chaehyun of South Korea have battled all along the Lead World Cup season – combining for four golds, one silver, and two bronze medals.

The two climbers are currently sitting in first and second place in the women’s ranking, only separated by 235 points, and this is a comprehensive – yet incomplete – list of the possible outcome based on their results.

Erin McNeice wins the Series if:

• She places first or second
• She places third or fourth, and Seo doesn’t place first
• She places fifth, sixth, or seventh, and Seo doesn’t place first or second
• She places eighth, and Seo doesn’t finish on the podium

Seo Chaehyun wins the Series if:

• She places first, and McNeice places third or lower
• She places second, and McNeice places fifth or lower
• She places third, and McNeice places eighth or lower
• She places fourth, and McNeice places 10th or lower
• She places fifth, and McNeice places 12th or lower
• She places sixth, and McNeice places 15th or lower
• She places seventh, and McNeice places 17th or lower
• She places eighth, and McNeice places 19th or lower

Among the complete range of possible winners, Laura Rogora of Italy and Annie Sanders of the USA also have a shot at the title, but both will need McNeice to not qualify for the final to have a chance.

On top of that, Rogora has to place on the podium, with an additional combination of other results from McNeice, Sanders, and Seo.

Sanders, finally, has to take gold, with McNeice placing 20th or lower, and Seo placing eighth or lower.

For the women’s Lead World Cup Ranking click here.

GINÉS LÓPEZ AND YOSHIDA FAVOURITES, ANRAKU AND SUZUKI UNDERDOGS

The race for the men’s Lead World Cup title also has two clear favourites, with the margin between Alberto Ginés López of Spain and Yoshida Satone of Japan being even smaller than the one between McNeice and Seo – 160 points.

Both the Spanish and the Japanese have collected multiple podium placements along the 2025 season, with Ginés López taking five medals out of five competitions, and Yoshida winning his first World Cup gold in Bali.

This is a comprehensive – yet incomplete – list of the possible outcome based on their results.

Alberto Ginés López wins the Series if:

• He places first
• He places second or third, and Yoshida doesn’t win gold
• He places fourth or fifth, and Yoshida doesn’t place first or second
• He places sixth, and Yoshida places fourth or lower
• He places seventh, Yoshida places fourth or lower, and Anraku doesn’t win gold
• He places eighth, Yoshida places fifth or lower, and Anraku doesn’t win gold

Yoshida Satone wins the Series if:

• He places first
• He places second, and Ginés López places fourth or lower
• He places third, and Ginés López places sixth or lower
• He places fourth, Ginés López places eighth or lower, and Sorato doesn’t win gold

The winner of the men’s Lead World Cup Series in 2023, Japan’s Anraku Sorato, is currently third in the ranking with 3,145 points – 535 less than Ginés López. To win the Series, the 18-year-old from Chiba will need to place in the top five, plus a combination of favourable results from Ginés López and Yoshida.

A third Japanese climber, Suzuki Neo, also has a slim chance to win the title, but he will require to place either first or second, plus a combination of very favourable results from his three rivals.

For the men’s Lead World Cup Ranking click here.

News and updates about the event will be available on the IFSC website and on the Federation’s digital channels: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, and exclusively for the Chinese audience, Bilibili, Douyin, Weibo, and Xiaohongshu.