SwimSwam’s Top 100 For 2026: Men’s 50-41 ...Middle East

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

Welcome to the SwimSwam Top 100 Swimmers of 2026: Men’s Edition. This is our outlook on the top 100 swimmers to watch globally in 2026.

Like most non-Olympic even-numbered years, the world of swimming will be scattered across the globe, with no real single meet to weigh the medals from most. That means times will rule the day in the 2026 rankings, which makes some things easier and some things harder.

The principles for ranking:

We start with data, and then debate, massage, re-rank, re-rank again, and eventually wind up with some vision of a top 100 that makes sense to our collective hivemind.

Note: we’ve excluded swimmers who have no sign of being in the pool in 2026, and hedged on others like Sarah Sjostrom that we expect to be back but don’t really know how they’ll be. These ranks always wind up a bit wonky because there’s so much opacity to the situations.

Men’s Rankings:

#50: Matt Richards, Great Britain (2025 Rank: 31) – After the vast success he experienced the two previous years, 2025 was a bit of a downturn for Richards, who won the world title in the 200 free in 2023 and then backed it up by winning Olympic silver in the event in Paris. At the 2025 World Championships, the now 23-year-old Brit placed 8th in the 100 free (47.74) and 12th in the 200 free (1:45.85), missing the final after posting his season-best of 1:45.35 at the British Championships. At the Aquatics GB Champs, Richards actually placed 3rd, but had been pre-selected for the Worlds team due to his Olympic silver. Acknowledging how competitive the 200 free is domestically in Great Britain, Richards will need to be at the top of his game this year, specifically in the prelims of the European Championships, where only the top two per country will advance out of the heats–this came to fruition at the 2025 SC Euros in December, where his time of 1:41.79 in the prelims was good for 3rd overall, but also 3rd among Brits, knocking him out of the semis. Last year, Richards ranked 11th in the world in the 100 free (47.59) and 16th in the 200 free (1:45.35). His personal best times in the long course 50 (21.98), 100 (47.45) and 200 free (1:44.30) were all set in 2023, though he did finish the year on a high note by winning bronze in the 100 free at SC Euros in a new best of 45.82. After three men broke 1:44 in 2025, Richards will need to step up and be at least equal to his 2023 bests to get back near the top of the heap in the 200 free and justify this ranking. He’s certainly capable of winning the 200 free and earning a medal in the 100 free at the Commonwealth Games, while at Euros, his work is cut out for him with David Popovici being the clear top dog, but he’s got a chance for two more podiums.

#49: Oliver Morgan, Great Britain (2025 Rank: NR) – Morgan has quietly become one of the best backstrokers in the world, though he’s still chasing that breakthrough major international long course medal. However, the 22-year-old did claim his first individual medal on the international stage in December, claiming bronze in the 100 back (49.68) after setting a new British Record in the prelims (49.55). In long course, after placing 8th in the 100 back and 12th in the 200 back at the 2024 Olympics, Morgan went three-for-three in best times at the 2025 Aquatics GB Championships in April, setting a new British Record in the 100 back (52.12) to rank #13 all-time while also clocking 24.43 in the 50 back and 1:55.55 in the 200 back. Those swims ranked him 6th, 9th and 14th in the world in 2025, respectively. At the World Championships in Singapore, he placed 5th in the 100 back (52.37), 10th in the 50 back (24.64) and 21st in the 200 back (1:57.57). If Morgan can continue to improve, he could easily dip into sub-52 territory in the 100 back this year. He’s likely the #2 favorite in the backstroke events at the Commonwealth Games behind South African Pieter Coetze, while at the European Championships, he’s in medal contention in the 50 and 100, though the field is loaded–including Russians, eight of the 10 fastest swimmers last year in the 100 back were European.

#48: Rex Maurer, USA (2025 Rank: NR) – After seeing massive improvements in short course yards during his first NCAA season at the University of Texas, Maurer’s success followed him into the long course pool in 2025. Maurer, who transferred from USC to the Longhorns in June 2024, had his best finish at the U.S. Olympic Trials that summer come in at 9th in the 400 free (3:48.94). Fast forward 12 months to the 2025 U.S. Nationals, Maurer executed massive drops with a win in the 400 free in a new U.S. Open Record (3:43.33), a runner-up finish in the 800 free (7:49.53), and two 3rd-place finishes in the 200 free (1:45.13) and 400 IM (4:09.65). Although he was off form at the World Championships, placing 11th in the 400 free and 20th in the 400 IM, Maurer finished the year ranked 5th in the world in the 400 free, 8th in the 400 IM, 12th in the 200 free and 21st in the 800 free. In 2026, the 21-year-old has the 18-year-old American Record of 3:42.78 in the 400 free directly in his sights, with medal chances in that event, and possibly the 400 IM and 200 free, at Pan Pacs this summer.

#47: Oliver Klemet, Germany (2025 Rank: 79) – Probably the most unheralded of Germany’s four-pronged distance attack, Klemet has only raced the 400 free at each of the past two major international meets due to how stacked the country is in the 800 and 1500. His breakthrough performance came in April 2024 when he dropped a time of 3:42.81 in the 400 free, helping him land a spot at the Olympics, where he placed 7th. In 2025, Klemet ranked 5th in the world in the 1500 free (14:39.03), 6th in the 400 free (3:43.40) and 8th in the 800 free (7:44.61), but was only 8th at the World Championships in the 400 (3:46.86). The 23-year-old is well-rounded across the 400, 800 and 1500, but the big question is how he’ll stack up domestically, with Sven Schwarz, Lukas Martens and Florian Wellbrock all elite in the same events. Klemet is capable of making an impact at the European Championships, but he’ll have to be on his game to get through to the final, given the two-per-country rule.

#46: Zac Stubblety-Cook, Australia (2025 Rank: 32) – The former world record holder and Olympic champion in the 200 breaststroke, Stubblety-Cook was forced to withdraw from the 2025 World Championships due to a back injury. The now 27-year-old Aussie produced a time of 2:09.09 in the 200 breast at the World Trials in Adelaide in June, which ranked him 17th in the world for the year, but it’s clear he was just doing what he had to do to qualify for the team and peaking for Singapore, though that never came to fruition. Given the relative weakness in the 200 breast field last year, with only one swimmer going under 2:07 and the world title being won in 2:07.41, it was a clear missed opportunity for Stubblety-Cook, but he said he believes his best time is still ahead of him. His current PB stands at 2:05.95, set in 2022 when he became the first man in history under 2:06. After sweeping the world and Commonwealth titles in the 200 breast in 2022, Stubblety-Cook won silver at the 2023 World Championships (2:06.40) behind Qin Haiyang, and then at the Paris Olympics, he clocked 2:06.79 to claim silver behind Leon Marchand. In 2026, a healthy Stubblety-Cook is the favorite for gold in the 200 breast at the Commonwealth Games and one of the contenders at the Pan Pacific Championships, with a few Japanese men potentially giving him a run.

#45. Gui Caribe, Brazil (2025 Rank: 85) – After a strong finish to 2024, Caribe established himself as one of the world’s premier sprinters in the long course pool last year, climbing up the world rankings in a big way. The Brazilian native finished 2024 ranked 36th in the 50 free (21.88) and 23rd in the 100 free (47.95), but last year, he moved up all the way to 7th in the 50 free (21.46) and 3rd in the 100 free (47.10), the latter ranking him 10th all-time. At the World Championships in Singapore, he narrowly missed a medal in the 100 free, placing 4th in 47.35, and also took 10th in the 50 free (21.78) and 8th in the 50 fly (22.92). His 50 fly swim from the semis of 22.91 ranked him 12th in the world for the year, making him one of the best dozen in the world in three highly competitive events. The 22-year-old is a gold medal contender in the 100 free, and a podium threat in the 50 free and fly, at Pan Pacs this summer, and he’ll also be a factor at Short Course Worlds after winning silver in the 50 and 100 free at the 2024 edition in Budapest.

#44: Florian Wellbrock, Germany (2025 Rank: 39) – Wellbrock is in an interesting spot in his career after dominating the open water events at the 2025 World Championships, going four-for-four in gold medals, but ending up 5th in his lone pool event, the 1500 free. Now 28, Wellbrock was still one of the best swimmers last year in the three distance events, ranking 3rd in the 1500 free (14:36.25), 5th in the 800 free (7:41.10) and 13th in the 400 free (3:45.29). The distance depth in Germany is the best in the world, as evidenced by the fact Wellbrock was only the third-fastest German in the 800 free last year despite being 5th in the world. At the European Championships this year, Wellbrock is arguably the favorite for gold in the 1500 free and is among the favorites in the 800 free–the biggest caveat is that he’ll have to ensure he’s one of the top two Germans in the prelims of both. Additionally, he’s a proven performer at Short Course Worlds, owning the SC world record in the 1500 free and coming off winning two silvers in the 800 and 1500 free in 2024, making him one of the frontrunners entering the 2026 edition in Beijing.

#43: Hwang Sunwoo, South Korea (2025 Rank: 34) – Hwang’s streak of winning medals in the 200 free at the World Championships came to an end in 2025, placing 4th in the final in a time of 1:44.72 after winning silver in 2022, bronze in 2023 and gold in 2024. The Korean native still had a big year, however, becoming the first Asian swimmer sub-1:44 in a time of 1:43.92 in October to rank 3rd in the world in 2025 behind David Popovici and Luke Hobson. Hwang, 22, also ranked 12th in the world in the 100 free (47.62) and 20th in the 200 IM (1:57.66). He was 13th in the 100 free at the World Championships, producing back-to-back 47.94s in the heats and semis. In 2026, Hwang projects to be right back near the top of the world ranks in the 200 free and in the top 10-15 in the 100 free, with gold in the Asian Games in the cards in both (we could also see him at Pan Pacs, though it’s unconfirmed if South Korea will be competing this year). He’s also a two-time SC world champion in the 200 free, winning gold in 2021 and 2022, so a third title is very possible if he opts to compete.

#42: Kristof Milak, Hungary (2025 Rank: 4) – Milak, having withdrawn from both the 2023 and 2025 World Championships, has only raced at one significant meet since the Paris Olympics, but is reportedly fully committed to the 2028 Olympics in LA. Despite only competing once in 2025, Milak’s talent was on display, clocking 50.67 in the 100 fly at the Hungarian National Championships in April, a swim good enough for 12th in the world for the year. He also posted respectable times in the 100 free (48.76), 50 fly (23.43) and 200 fly (1:56.13). There’s still a big question mark, but if Milak is all-in on training this year, he could win multiple gold medals at the European Championships. He’s got a tall order in front of him with Frenchmen Maxime Grousset (100 fly) and Leon Marchand (200 fly) standing in his way, but Milak is still the fastest of all-time in the 200 fly (1:50.34) and 3rd all-time in the 100 fly (49.68). Set to turn 26 later in February, it might be now or never for Milak these next three years if he wants to compete at the highest level again.

#41: Ilya Borodin, Russia (2025 Rank: 40) – Borodin has been an elite IMer on the senior international stage since he was 16, winning silver in the 400 IM at SC Euros in 2019, and he’s continued to show his talent level is top tier in recent years despite fewer international opportunities due to the Russian ban by World Aquatics. Borodin won gold in the 400 IM at the LC and SC Euros in 2021 (officially the 2020 European Aquatics Championships, but held in 2021), and though he was forced to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics due to COVID, he finished out that year winning silver at SC Worlds in the 400 IM. After a hiatus, the now 22-year-old returned to international competition in December 2024 at SC Worlds, winning gold in the 400 IM, and then he followed that up by claiming bronze in the event at the 2025 Worlds in Singapore. Having finished the year ranked 6th in the 400 IM (4:09.16) and 21st in the 200 IM (1:57.67), Borodin would have to be regarded as the second-best 400 IMer heading into the 2026 European Championships, trailing only Leon Marchand. At Short Course Worlds at the end of the year, Borodin will be defending his title, and Marchand is likely the only one who would be favored to upend him if he happens to be competing.

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