Cape Town Marathon becomes the 8th World Marathon Major, and Africa's first
On 10 June 2026 the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon was confirmed as the eighth Abbott World Marathon Major, the first ever held on African soil. Here's what happened, the full list of majors, and the stamp we made to mark it.
It finally happened. On 10 June 2026, the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon was confirmed as the eighth Abbott World Marathon Major, and the first one ever to be held on African soil. For a series that has spent decades anchored in Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York, this is a genuinely big shift: the majors map now reaches a continent it had never touched.
If you have been chasing the Six Star Medal, or just love watching the running calendar grow, this one is worth a moment.
What was actually announced
Cape Town had been a candidate race for a while, and the final call came down to a two-stage assessment by Abbott World Marathon Majors. After staging its 2026 edition on 24 May, the race passed the second and final stage of that evaluation and was officially welcomed into the series.
It does not become a major overnight on the start line. Cape Town will formally enter the series at its next edition on 23 May 2027. Runners who finished the 2026 race were credited with provisional stars that get upgraded once the race is fully in.
So the eight Abbott World Marathon Majors are now:
- Tokyo Marathon
- Boston Marathon
- TCS London Marathon
- TCS Sydney Marathon (joined in 2025)
- BMW Berlin Marathon
- Bank of America Chicago Marathon
- TCS New York City Marathon
- Sanlam Cape Town Marathon (Africa's first)
What they said
Abbott World Marathon Majors CEO Dawna Stone put it simply: "Africa's first Major has finally arrived. The unique culture, the welcome from the people of the city and the wonderful setting Cape Town provides will bring a whole new dimension to our series."
Cape Town Marathon CEO Clark Gardner called it "a profound honor", adding that "this is a moment generations of African runners have waited for." It is hard to overstate that part. A series that bills itself as the pinnacle of marathon running had, until now, skipped an entire continent.
Why Cape Town fits
Anyone who has run there will tell you the setting does a lot of the talking. The course unfolds in the shadow of Table Mountain, along the coast and through the city, with the kind of backdrop that makes the last few kilometres a little easier to bear. It is fast, it is scenic, and it now carries the same weight as Berlin or New York on a runner's résumé.
For Six Star chasers, the math just changed. The elite club of marathons keeps expanding, Sydney came in as the seventh in 2025, Cape Town is the eighth, and the conversation about what a "complete set" even means is very much alive.
If you want to throw your name in, the general ballot for the 2027 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is open from 10 to 24 June 2026, with applicants notified of the outcome on 26 June.
Cape Town did not get here overnight. For the full backstory, from a 1994 club race in Pinelands to Africa's first Major, read the history of the Cape Town Marathon.
We made a stamp for it
We track the marathon cities as a collection in Stampie, so the moment this was confirmed we added Cape Town to the set. Here is the stamp, ready to land in your passport the day you cross that finish line:
Our own Cape Town marathon-city stamp, ready to land in your Stampie passport the day you run it.
Collect the marathon cities as you run them
Running marathons in great cities is a set you build one race at a time, over years. Stampie's Marathons collection lets you keep that set on your phone: a stamp for every marathon city you have run, a map that fills in as you travel, and a small note for the trip so the memory stays with the race.
Join Stampie to start tracking your marathon cities. Whether you are one race in or chasing a full collection, your marathon cities live in one passport you actually keep, instead of a drawer full of bibs.
A friendly note: Stampie is a small indie project made by people who love travel and collecting stamps. We are not affiliated with the Abbott World Marathon Majors, Sanlam, or any race organiser. Our marathon stamps are our own designs, curated by our editorial team, not official race logos or marks. We just think running a marathon in a new city is one of the best stamps you can earn. 🏃
FAQ
How many World Marathon Majors are there now? Eight. Tokyo, Boston, London, Sydney, Berlin, Chicago, New York and, as of June 2026, Cape Town.
Is Cape Town Marathon a World Marathon Major? Yes. It was confirmed as the eighth Abbott World Marathon Major on 10 June 2026 and formally joins the series at its 23 May 2027 edition.
Why is the Cape Town Marathon a big deal? It is the first Abbott World Marathon Major ever held in Africa, opening the series to a continent it had never included before.
When is the 2027 Cape Town Marathon? 23 May 2027. The general ballot ran from 10 to 24 June 2026, with results on 26 June.
Sources
Behind Stampie
The idea for Stampie started in Peru 🇵🇪, back in 2023. I’ve always loved collecting passport stamps, that small thrill of seeing a new one land at the border. On that trip they just waved me through. No stamp. A small thing, but it stuck with me.
Turns out a lot of countries have quietly stopped stamping. A couple of years later I built the first version of Stampie for a hackathon, somewhere to keep that little ritual alive even when the ink doesn’t come. A passport-style journal for anyone who still wants this souvenir from every trip.
It quietly found its way to people. As an indie team, we keep working on Stampie in coffee breaks, on weekends, and from wherever the next trip takes us.
You might also like
How this post was made: AI-assisted tools may be used in research, drafting and image generation, then reviewed and edited by the author. Travel policies change quickly. For visa, border, and entry requirements, please check primary sources (official immigration sites, your embassy) before you go.
Spotted an error or something that doesn't look right? Report a concern and we'll take a look.