The 12th Beer Mile World Classic was held in Cologne, Germany on September 18th, 2026.
The men's championship featured world record holder Corey Bellemore claiming his eighth world title. The men's team competition came down to just a couple of points, with Team USA reclaiming the Kingston Cup and halting Team Sweden's hopes and dreams of winning its first world team title. The Swedes took second and Team Canada took third.
On the women's side, the race featured the first-ever head-to-head matchup between world record holder, Shelby Houlihan, 3-time defending champion, Elizabeth Laseter, and the world's fastest chugger, Melanie Pozdol. Laseter achieved the upset to earn her 4th straight title in the closest race the Beer Mile World Classic has ever seen. It came down to a 3-way sprint finish for the world title.
Watch
Men's Championship: Watch Here
Women's Championship: Watch Here
Athlete interviews and clips: 2026 Beer Mile World Classic Videos
Results
See below. For splits, watch the race videos above.
Post-Race Recap
Read the post race recap here.