The new season of the IBU Biathlon World Cup is gathering considerable momentum, and the final pulse of the 2024/25 season, which started on a high note, ended with impressive growth in viewership.
Fans across the Nordic countries and the rest of the rival nations are eagerly awaiting the 2024/2025 season, which will culminate in the spectacular unveiling of new champions and the conclusion of some marvelous, legendary careers.
With changing seasons, the men’s and women’s circuits are set to face stiff competition from new entrants in the 2025/26 season. The melting pot of trails and the betting counters have already seen excitement due to Melbet betting agents unveiling odds for some of the most pivotal events. Biathlon, as a sport, is traditionally known for its combination of stamina and precision, and the no-holds-barred drama is set to entertain fans further as crowds begin to pour in due to the betting aspects of the sport.
Recap: A Season of Surprises and Farewells
The 2024/25 World Cup season kept fans worldwide on their toes until the very last shootout. At Oslo-Holmenkollen’s last meet, Norway’s Sturla Holm Lægreid clinched his very first overall World Cup title while stepping out from the shadow of his teammate Johannes Thingnes Bø. At the same time, Lægreid’s unmatched steadfastness, which included multiple wins and several discipline globes, was more than enough to place Norway on the map, all of this crowned Norway at the very top of the season.
There was also some reason for German fans to cheer when, after some back and forth throughout the season with France’s Lou Jeanmonnot, Preuß managed to capture the big globe. Not only did she win the world, proving to be an all-rounder in her own right, but also, with four wins, claimed small globes in the sprint and mass start. Some of this was made possible due to the complete absence of prior champion Italian Lisa Vittozzi for the entire season due to a back injury, the retirement a year prior of Norwegian legends Tiril Eckhoff and Marte Olsbu Røiseland, along with a lack of fiercely competitive female athletes.
The drama of the IBU World Cup doesn’t end at the finish line — for many fans, the passion carries into the offseason in unexpected ways. After witnessing a season filled with record-breaking performances, stunning comebacks, and emotional farewells, some supporters seek more meaningful ways to stay involved beyond simply watching.
One increasingly popular path is stepping into a more active role within the sports betting community. In fact, for those with a sharp eye for strategy and a love for winter sports, the option to become a betting agent with Melbet offers a unique way to turn that passion into a solid income. These bet agents are more than intermediaries — they’re insiders, sharing in the pulse of the sport and helping others connect to the thrill of each race. As anticipation builds for the 2025/26 season, Melbet’s network of betting agents is already laying the groundwork for what promises to be a landmark year in biathlon.
Men’s Competition: A New King and New Rivalries
With the Bø brothers stepping away (both Johannes Thingnes and his elder brother Tarjei Bø confirmed retirement at season’s end), the men’s biathlon field enters a new era. Norway will pin its hopes on Sturla Holm Lægreid to carry the torch, but the fight for supremacy is far from a one-man show.
Norwegian steadies are off to capitalize on the Bøs gap. International challengers are queuing up suspiciously, though. Past championship contenders such as Samuelsson of Sweden and Fillon Maillet of France have other thoughts. Fillon Maillet, having been the overall champion in 2021-22, is eager to bounce back after a few quieter seasons. While Samuelsson, along with his fast teammates from Sweden, like Ponsiluoma, are also set to help chip away at Norway’s stronghold.
Women’s Competition: Wide Open and Full of Drama
While the men’s race might be shifting towards a new structure, the women’s competition is even more unpredictable. Defending champion Franziska Preuss will bear the brunt as the target, but she will have to undergo an arduous struggle if she wishes to keep her title. The French biathlon brigade is strong. Lou Jeanmonnot, who narrowly lost the overall title, will rue the constancy of having to settle for second best. Her teammate, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, returning from maternity leave, is an Olympic gold medalist and a powerful asset in mass starts and relays. Sweden has Elvira Öberg, one of the fastest skiers on the circuit, who is a top contender for the sprint title if her shooting remains on target. She is likely in a battle for the finish line with Dorothea Wierer of Italy, the veteran sniper known for her winning ways.
The return of Lisa Vittozzi from injury is also a consideration that can not be underestimated. Vittozzi is a strong enough sprinter and sharpshooter, and her return may help tilt the advantages in Italy’s favor in the 7.5km ski and 15km individual events. Norway should not be forgotten either, losing two legends certainly hurt, but young stars like Maren Kirkeeide and the ever-smiling Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold are more than willing to defend Norwegian pride. With so many capable of podium finishes, the women’s World Cup of Skiing will be an anticipated week-to-week roller-coaster.
For fans, this translates to increased storylines and the best reason yet to get into the action. Leads changes on the routes taken, and dramatic last-shot fights create adrenaline and intensity, with bets from Melbet taking that intensity to another level. Wagering whether Preuss can repeat, or some underdog will outpace everyone in a certain race, makes all the difference in transforming a fan into an active participant.
Betting on Biathlon: Melbet Leads the Way
For anyone trying to enhance the World Cup season, betting on biathlon offers something new. Melbet and its agents are always one step ahead. Bets for some of the events from the 2025/26 World Cup season are already up for grabs, well before the season opening.
Fans can already back their predictions on some of the marquee women’s races. For instance, odds are live for the Women’s Relay 4×6 km – Combined Total Winner (the overall relay champion across the season) on Melbet’s platform, as well as the opening Women’s 4×6 km Relay event itself. Enthusiasts can even place early wagers on individual disciplines like the Women’s 7.5 km Sprint and the Women’s 10 km Pursuit – months before those athletes line up at the start gate. Melbet betting agents (https://melbetagents.com/) are seeing bettors flock to these long-term markets, reflecting the high level of engagement among the biathlon fan base.
Allowing bets on these events now enables Melbet to let fans engage with the Cup storylines well ahead of time. Everything about the season can be experienced through a predictive lens–imagine having selected an underdog nation to emerge victorious in a relay title and having to follow each relay through the winter, all with that bet in play. Having the ability to place bets this far in advance like that can enhance the excitement of the IBU World Cup because each result gets you closer to a payout. Melbet’s accessible website, along with their live betting options (even some streamed events), allows you to experience the drama live while weighing odds mid-race.
Looking Ahead: New Season, New Thrills
The calendar for the 2025/26 Biathlon World Cup has been set, and it promises a journey across Europe’s winter wonderlands. The season kicks off on November 29, 2025, in Östersund, Sweden – a venue famed for its frigid winds and challenging shooting conditions – and will conclude on March 22, 2026, in Oslo, Norway. In between, athletes will traverse a classic itinerary: Hochfilzen’s snowy slopes in Austria, the festive atmosphere of Le Grand-Bornand in France before Christmas, the gruelling back-to-back weeks in Germany’s biathlon heartlands of Oberhof and Ruhpolding, and a return to Nove Mesto in the Czech Republic.
As the offseason checklists are getting finalized, there’s a buzz among the tribes and teams. The Lægreid storyline is over-dramatized, but will they confirm Norway’s dominance in the post-Bø era, or will we witness a renaissance from another nation’s squad?
Oh, and how can we possibly forget Preuß? Can she fend off an entire pack of challengers hungry to claim the women’s title for Germany, or is French (or Swedish or even Italian) takeover lurking around the corner? Every duel on the shooting range and sprint to the finish line will resolve something. Cashing in will, without doubt, transform this sport to a whole new level. In this case, we’re particularly talking about Melbet because, as it stands now, the leading “betting” drama in biathlon revolves around them. The discrepancy of odds and predicted outcomes is, as always, jaw-dropping, and bets laden with money will be served hot. However, one thing is sure: with the unpredictability of technology and, ahem, Melbet’s Super excitement, there is a guarantee that the biathlon World Cup spectacle will entirely explode in our faces for the 2025/2026 season.
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Biathlon World Cup 2025/26: New Era, Fierce Rivalries, and Betting Excitement