Preview: Lausanne back as kick-starter for indoor season
Just like that, the indoor season begins.
It was only a week ago that the Nanjing 2025 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final closed archery’s premier international circuit – and the entire 2025 outdoor season.
Now, the sport’s other circuit begins, this time under the lights and roof of the new-look 2026 Indoor Archery World Series, starting with the Swiss Open Lausanne.
Previously, the competition culminated in the Indoor World Series Finals. But following a revamp announced in June, there will be no Finals this season. Instead, two new 250-point events – in Rio (Brazil) and Merida (Mexico) – have been added to the expanded calendar.
It is the third consecutive year that Lausanne hosts the opening leg, welcoming 305 compound and recurve archers from around the world to the World Archery Excellence Centre. There are also categories for over-50 and under-21 competitors.
The compound men’s field is arguably the most competitive event in Lausanne, featuring all of the world’s top four athletes – Mathias Fullerton, Mike Schloesser, World Archery Champion Nicolas Girard and Rishabh Yadav – while there are also notable names in the recurve events.
Reigning Indoor World Series recurve women’s champion Casey Kaufhold is in Switzerland this week, as is last year’s Swiss Open recurve men’s gold medallist Alessandro Paoli. His compatriot, Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games runner-up Mauro Nespoli, is also competing.
Key information
What’s happening? The Swiss Open at the World Archery Excellence Centre on 31 October-2 November 2025 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
What’s at stake? 2500 CHF in prize money for each winner, elite and open ranking points for the international circuit, plus world ranking points.
Who’s competing? 305 archers from 32 countries.
What’s the story? The premier indoor circuit, which for the first time features seven stops this season, starts once again at the Swiss Open Lausanne. With no Indoor World Series Finals in 2026, archers unable to attend every tournament will want to start strongly.
Schedule
- Friday 31 October: Qualifying (two sessions)
- Saturday 1 November: Qualifying (one session), eliminations and finals (elite)
- Sunday 2 November: Second-chance tournament and finals (U21 and 50+)
How to watch
Watch live footage with a subscription to archery+. Live scores will be available on the World Archery website and there will be coverage on World Archery’s digital platforms throughout the competition.
Who’s competing?
Full entries are available online. These are the top-ranked archers shooting in Lausanne:
- Recurve men: Matteo Borsani, Italy (world rank: 8)
- Recurve women: Casey Kaufhold, USA (world rank: 3)
- Compound men: Mathias Fullerton, Denmark (world rank: 1)
- Compound women: Elisa Roner, Italy (world rank: 15)
Competition at the Swiss Open starts on Friday.
