TOKYO is about to become the centre of the athletics universe.
The World Athletics Championship 2025 brings nine days of elite track and field, road races and relays to the Japanese capital — with a timetable that’s friendly for UK lunchtime viewing and a few caffeine-fuelled late nights.
Dina Asher-Smith competed for Great Britain in the 2023 ChampionshipPA
Here’s everything that matters: when it starts, how the schedule typically lands across the week, where results will drop first, and the best ways to watch live in the UK.
When is the World Athletics Championship 2025?
The World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 run from July 15 to July 24, 2025.
The host venue is the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo, the centrepiece of the city’s recent global sporting events.
Expect more than 2,000 athletes representing roughly 200 nations, competing in events ranging from sprints and middle distance to long distance, hurdles, relays, jumps, throws, combined events, and road races.
Time zones matter. Tokyo operates on Japan Standard Time (JST), which is UTC+9.
For UK viewers on British Summer Time (UTC+1), Tokyo evening finals typically occur late in the morning to early afternoon in the UK.
For US Eastern Time (UTC−4), the same primetime in Tokyo lands early in the morning.
In other words, set alarms, plan your lunch breaks, and prepare the coffee.
This is the 20th edition of the Championships, and it’s a true global marquee: a nine-day, two-session-a-day format that delivers qualifying rounds, semis and finals at a relentless pace.
If you care about records, medals and razor-thin margins, this is where they happen.
The BBC will be providing coverage across the eventBBC
World Athletics Championship 2025 schedule
World Athletics publishes the full, official timetable for Tokyo 25 and is the only schedule you should plan against.
It outlines every session, event, and final across all nine days.
Here’s how to navigate it like a pro, with the essentials that matter for planning your viewing and tracking results.
The format at a glance:
Duration: nine consecutive days from Saturday, September 13, to Sunday, September 21.
Sessions: morning and evening sessions most days.
Event flow: heats and qualifications are concentrated in the mornings; marquee finals are held in the evening sessions, local time.
Key dates to mark:
Opening day: Saturday, September 13, 2025
Closing day: Sunday, September 21, 2025
Medal moments: Finals are spread throughout, culminating in a busy closing weekend.
Practical viewing tips:
Block out the two weekends (September 13-14 and September 20-21) for dense clusters of finals.
Convert times ahead of time and set calendar reminders that include your local time.
If you’re in the UK, mid-to-late morning weekdays will catch many Tokyo evening finals.
You can also track results in the World Athletics app, which is reliable for push notifications on finals, records and national medal totals.
If you prefer a desktop, the Championships’ results portal is the definitive source across all events, all days.
One more point on schedule certainty: athletics timetables are meticulously planned but subject to operational adjustments.
Always check the official timetable again on the morning of each session.
Major championships often spark debate surrounding eligibility and testing rules, and you can read our explainer on the Imane Khelif controversy here.
GETTYZharnel Hughes will also be representing Great Britain in Tokyo this month[/caption]
How can I watch the World Athletics Championship 2025
In the UK’s live coverage of the World Athletics Championships Tokyo, 25 will be on, with extensive live sessions and highlight windows across the nine days.
UK Live coverage and highlights are set to air across BBC television channels, with full live streams and on‑demand replays on BBC iPlayer.
BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra typically carry live commentary during the biggest sessions.
As the BBC finalises its on‑air team, read why Michael Johnson will not be part of the BBC’s Tokyo coverage for these Championships.
Streaming in the UK is available via discovery+, where TNT Sports’ channels are carried for mobile, tablet, smart TV and browser viewing.
If you already subscribe to TNT Sports through your TV provider, you can typically authenticate in the app; if not, discovery+ offers direct streaming plans.
Check your package details ahead of time so you’re set before the starter’s pistol.
Expect many marquee finals to land late morning to early afternoon on weekdays.
If you can’t watch live, use discovery+ to catch up during lunch or after work.
What about highlights and social clips? Broadcasters and World Athletics publish rapid highlight packages, race replays, and record attempts across their official websites and social channels shortly after the events conclude.
If you’re spoiler-averse, mute keywords and notifications until you’ve watched the replay.
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