What you need to know about Team Canada at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships
Team Canada’s top athletes across the aquatics sports will be flocking to Singapore this summer to go head-to-head with the best in the world.
Traditionally held every other year, the World Aquatics Championships have been on an unusual schedule since the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, the world championships were held on a yearly basis from 2022 to 2025. After this summer, the event will return to its regular scheduling, with the next iteration taking place in 2027.
What sports are contested at the World Aquatics Championships?
The biennial event features competition in water polo, open water swimming, artistic swimming, diving, swimming, and high diving (the latter of which is not on the Olympic programme).
Where will the 2025 World Aquatics Championships take place?
The 2025 World Aquatics Championships will take place in Singapore.
When will the 2025 World Aquatics Championships take place?
The world championships will take place over three weeks, from July 11 to August 3. Because of the 12-hour time difference between Singapore and the Eastern Time zone, Canadians will be able to start watching the action on the evening of July 10, beginning with water polo.
2025 World Aquatics Championships Schedule
Open water swimming will commence on July 15 (July 14 in Canada), followed by artistic swimming on July 18 (July 17 in Canada). High diving begins on July 24 (July 23 in Canada), while diving begins on July 26 (July 25 in Canada). Swimming will be the last sport to get going at the world championships, beginning on July 27 (July 26 in Canada).
Who will represent Canada at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships?
Diving
Twelve athletes—nine in Olympic programme events and three in high diving—will represent Team Canada at the world championships, including a mix of experienced competitors and rising talents with impressive performances at past World Junior Championships.
Familiar names include Paris 2024 Olympians Kate Miller (women’s 10m and 10m synchro) and Margo Erlam (women’s 1m, 3m). Miller placed fourth in the 10m synchro at Paris 2024 alongside Caeli McKay. She will compete with Katelyn Fung at the world championships.
Matt Cullen will make his senior world championship debut, after having been the world junior champion on the men’s 10m platform in 2022. He and Benjamin Tessier, who is also making his first senior worlds appearance, won bronze in the men’s 10m synchro at the World Aquatics Diving World Cup in Windsor, Ontario in April.
Sonya Palkhivala will also make her senior world championship debut, having earned three medals for Team Canada at the 2022 World Junior Championships. Palkhivala is returning to competitive form after knee surgery that necessitated a year away from competition. She and Amélie-Laura Jasmin won silver in the women’s 3m synchro at the Windsor World Cup.
Water Polo
Team Canada is sending a strong team of 14 athletes to compete in men’s water polo in Singapore, kicking off the Olympic quadrennial as athletes place their sights on LA 2028.
Eight of the athletes on Team Canada also represented the nation at the Santiago 2023 Pan Am Games—the last major multisport event that the Canadian men’s water polo team participated in. The team will be led by captain Bogdan Djerkovic.
Team Canada is in Group C and will face the United States (10:35 p.m. ET July 11), Singapore (7:10 a.m. ET July 14) and Brazil (9:00 p.m. ET July 15) in the preliminary round.
Artistic Swimming
Twelve athletes, including seven Olympians and 10 world championship veterans, will represent Team Canada in artistic swimming. Canada will compete in the solo, duet, and team events. Audrey Lamothe will represent Canada in the women’s solo events, and will also swim with Ximena Ortez in the women’s duet events.
Team Canada will be captained by Paris 2024 Olympian Kenzie Priddell, competing at her fifth world championships. Tokyo 2020 Olympian Halle Pratt is making her first world championship appearance since 2019. Team Canada placed sixth in the team event at Paris 2024. At the World Aquatics Championships, the technical, free, and acrobatic routines are all separate events.
Swimming and Open Water Swimming
Twenty-seven talented swimmers, 14 men and 13 women, will represent Canada in swimming in Singapore. Pool athletes were selected based on their performances at the Bell Canadian Swimming Trials, which took place in Victoria in June.
Summer McIntosh was the headliner of Trials with an astounding performance that included three world records and five Canadian records during the meet. The Paris 2024 triple gold medallist believes she has even more in store for the world championships. The 18-year-old has won eight medals, including four gold, at the previous two long course world championships.
Kylie Masse is another athlete to watch for Team Canada, competing at her fifth world championship. A three-time Olympian, Masse has nine world championship medals to her name, including three gold. Masse boasts the impressive track record of having won at least one medal at every major championship or Olympic Games since she joined the national team in 2015.
Finlay Knox heads to Singapore as the defending world champion in the men’s 200m individual medley. Knox took the title at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, marking the first time in 17 years that a Canadian man won a gold medal at the World Aquatics Championships.
The men’s team also includes a pair of Olympic medallists in the butterfly events, Josh Liendo and Ilya Kharun. Liendo was a medallist in the 100m butterfly at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships while Kharun is seeking his first medal at the long course worlds.
Eric Brown and Emma Finlin will be Canada’s representatives in the open water events.
How can I watch the world championships?
The 2025 World Aquatics Championships will be streamable through CBC. Because of the time difference, finals in swimming, diving, and artistic swimming will take place during mornings in Canada.
