On Monday, USA Swimming confirmed that the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Centre in the city of Irvine, California, will host the 2026 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, which will bring together the best swimmers from Pacific countries and serve as a preview of the LA28 Olympic Games.
The event, to be held from 12-15 August 2026 in its pool phase, will also include the 10K Open Water Championship, the exact date and location of which will be announced shortly.
This edition will mark the return of the Pan Pacs after eight years of inactivity, as the competition scheduled for 2022 was cancelled due to a congested sporting calendar caused by the pandemic.
The Pan Pacific Championships are held every four years, with the location rotating among the four founding nations: the United States, Australia, Japan, and Canada.
Initially, it seemed that the latter would host the 2026 edition, but an official host city was never designated. In the 38-year history of the event, Canada has hosted it only twice, the last time being in 2006, in Victoria. Ultimately, the decision was made to move the competition to Irvine as part of a strategy to strengthen logistics and build momentum around swimming ahead of the Los Angeles Games.
The William Woollett Aquatics Centre, refurbished as part of the Heritage Park Aquatics Complex, is a world-class venue featuring two Olympic-sized pools and a seating capacity for 700 spectators in its standard configuration, expandable to 4,000 with temporary stands. This venue previously hosted the 2010 Pan Pacs and other major events, such as the USA Swimming National Championships in 2005, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022, as well as the Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool in 2005.
The tournament was established in 1985 as an alternative to the European Championships and was originally intended for Pacific nations. Over time, it expanded to include countries from other regions, such as Brazil and South Africa. Between 1985 and 2002, the Pan Pacs were held every two years, later switching to a quadrennial format in even years between the Olympic Games.
Shana Ferguson, COO and interim CEO of USA Swimming, stated, “We are thrilled to be hosting the Pan Pacific Championships in 2026 and look forward to welcoming the best of the world to Southern California 16 years after we last hosted Pan Pacs at this very venue.” She also thanked the Irvine team and the Woollett Aquatics Centre for their efforts in bringing this event to fruition.
