2025 World Figure Skating Championships

The 2025 World Figure Skating Championships were held from March 26 to 30, 2025, at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. Sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), the World Championships are considered the most prestigious event in figure skating. Medals were awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. The competition determined the entry quotas for each skating federation to the 2026 Winter Olympics. Ilia Malinin and Alysa Liu, both of the United States, won the men's and women's events, respectively. Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan won the pairs event, and Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States won the ice dance event.

The World Figure Skating Championships are considered the most prestigious event in figure skating. The 2025 World Championships were held from March 26 to 30, 2025, at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. The competition occurred less than two months after the 2025 Potomac River mid-air collision that downed American Airlines Flight 5342 and killed multiple junior skaters and coaches of the Skating Club of Boston. A ceremony was held at the start of the competition to honor the skaters, coaches, and family members who died. International Skating Union (ISU) president Jae Youl Kim attended the ceremony and stated: "Someone once told me time is a great healer, but for those who have experienced deep loss, we know that time does not simply erase pain. For many of us, it feels like we are frozen in time". The ceremony was attended by family members of the victims and alumni of the Skating Club of Boston, as well as Maura Healey, governor of Massachusetts, and Michelle Wu, mayor of Boston.

Defending World champion Ilia Malinin of the United States entered the competition heavily favored to win. Malinin had not lost a competition all season, but still felt grief over the loss of friends and training partners who had died on American Airlines Flight 5342. Malinin stated that he wanted to deliver a performance that he and everyone could be proud of. When asked about rivals, Malinin responded, "I would consider myself to be my biggest rival... I always like to compete against myself and to really just push my own limit."

Yuma Kagiyama of Japan entered the World Championships after losing to Cha Jun-hwan of South Korea at the 2025 Asian Winter Games. Experimenting with new technical content and new jumps had led to a very inconsistent season, and a World Championship medal, although in reach, was not a certainty. Adam Siao Him Fa of France, who had been the last skater to beat Malinin in competition, had also had an inconsistent season, having lost his European Championship title to Lukas Britschgi of Switzerland and also having withdrawn from the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final due to a persistent ankle injury. Due to the injury which had plagued him all season, he chose to simplify his technical content in order to achieve some consistency and allow his injury to heal properly, as his stamina due to the injury was causing mistakes, including at the 2024 Cup of China, where he had appeared visibly exhausted at the end of the free skate.

Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan, who had replaced Siao Him Fa at the Grand Prix Final and ultimately finished there in fourth place, had also recently won the 2025 Four Continents Championships by a margin of 20 points. Additionally, Shaidorov had become the first skater to land a difficult triple Axel-quadruple toe loop jump combination earlier in the season.

Unlike the men's event, there was no clear front-runner in the lead up to the women's event. Three-time World Champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan had struggled throughout the season, finishing third at the Grand Prix Final and second at the 2025 Asian Winter Games. Sakamoto admitted that she did not feel fully ready for the World Championships due to an adjustment in program difficulty, and questioned whether her stamina was ready for the demands of her free skate program this season. Sakamoto also faced pressure in Japan to maintain her high standards, with five out of the six skaters qualifying for the Grand Prix Final having come from Japan.

Reigning World silver medalist Isabeau Levito of the United States had missed out on most of the season due to a foot injury that had prevented her from skating for three months. At the Olympic test event in Milan, she acknowledged she was still not completely fit, and there were concerns as to how she would do at the World Championships. Amber Glenn, also of the United States, was undefeated in competition this season, having won the 2024 Grand Prix de France and the 2024 Cup of China, as well as the Grand Prix Final.

Reigning World bronze medalist Kim Chae-yeon of South Korea won the biggest title of her career at the 2025 Four Continents Championships with personal bests in the short program, free skate, and total score. Additionally, she had won the gold medal at the Asian Winter Games. Despite having lost the Grand Prix Final, she experienced consistency during the second half of the season and was favored to win a medal at the World Championships.