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:
Trajectory Age Performance in 2023-2024-2025 (more recent results weighted more heavily) Anomalies to trajectories (one bad year doesn’t mean a swimmer isn’t still one of the best in the world, if it was pretty isolated or illness may have impacted performance) Versatility. A swimmer who might be #3 in the world in three events could leap a one-trick pony who is #1 or #2 in their best event and outside the top 10 in their next-best event. Competitive Atmosphere. A swimmer ranked #9 in the world in a more competitive event could be ranked higher than a finalist in a less competitive event.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:
#100-91 #90-81 #80-71 #70-61 #60-51 #50-41 #40-31#30: Nicolo Martinenghi, Italy (2025 Rank: 24) – The reigning Olympic champion in the 100 breaststroke, Martinenghi backed up his win in Paris with a silver in the event last summer in Singapore, clocking 58.58 to finish as the runner-up behind Qin Haiyang. That swim ranked Martinenghi 3rd in the world for the year, trailing Qin and Kirill Prigoda, and he also ranked 15th in the 50 breast (26.78) and 29th in the 200 breast (2:10.00), the latter marking a new best time. At the end of the year at SC Euros, Martinenghi had another solid showing by winning bronze in the 50 breast (25.86), placing 7th in the 100 breast (56.78), and adding a 9th-place finish in the 200 breast (2:04.46). The 26-year-old has not lowered his best time in the 50 or 100 breast (LC or SC) since 2022, but he’s consistently been in the medal hunt at major championship meets with his ability to churn out 26-high/58-mid swims in long course. He’s likely the favorite for gold in the 100 and a medal chance in the 50 at Euros this year, and it will be interesting to see if he continues to pursue the 200-meter distance moving forward.
#29: Tomoyuki Matsushita, Japan (2025 Rank: 37) – After winning the junior world title in the 400 IM in 2023, Matsushita has reeled off back-to-back silvers in the event on the senior international stage, finishing as the runner-up to Leon Marchand at both the 2024 Olympics and 2025 World Championships. The 20-year-old improved his best time from 4:08.62 to 4:07.21 in 2025, though he ranked 3rd at year’s end both times, with Carson Foster holding down the #2 spot. However, Matushita has proven he can perform at his best when it matters most, and he also expanded his versatility and made big strides in other events. He dropped two seconds in the 200 IM, getting down to 1:55.60 at the Japan Open to rank 5th in the world (after he was 21st in 2024), and he also climbed to 12th in the world in the 200 fly after dropping a time of 1:54.70 in November. In 2026, Matsushita will be a favorite for double gold in the medley events at the Asian Games, and based on what he did late in the year, he’s also a medal threat in the 200 fly. His freestyle ability shouldn’t be slept on, either, having gone 1:46.96/3:48.11 in the 200/400 free last year. Holding him back from ranking higher is that he doesn’t have a realistic path to being #1 in the world in any event right now, given the dominance of Marchand.
#28: Kirill Prigoda, Russia (2025 Rank: 35) – Prigoda was the second-best all-around male breaststroker last year after finishing 2025 ranked in the top eight across all three distances, something only Qin Haiyang was able to match, including sitting 2nd in the 100 breast. At the 2025 World Championships, the now 30-year-old Prigoda set a Russian Record of 58.53 in the prelims of the 100 breast, ranking him #2 in the world for the year, but ended up being disqualified in the final after initially touching 4th in 59.01. He won silver in the 50 breast (26.62), placed 4th in the 200 breast (2:07.99), missing out on a medal by less than three-tenths, and added two gold medals to his haul on the Russian men’s and mixed medley relays, producing elite 100 breast splits of 57.92 and 57.56. Though Russian swimmers were not in the field at the European SC Championships, Prigoda still had a standout short course season, posting times in the 50 breast (25.55) and 100 breast (55.51) that would’ve won gold at Euros, while his 2:01.90 in the 200 would’ve been good for bronze. Having been competing at a high level internationally for the past decade, the question with Prigoda is whether or not he can maintain these types of performances into his 30s. But as a 26-mid/58-mid/2:07 breaststroker, he’s a three-pronged medal threat this year at Euros, and should do some damage at SC Worlds in 2026 after he won silver in all three distances in 2024.
#27: Egor Kornev, Russia (2025 Rank: NR) – Kornev evolved from being a top 10-15 sprinter in the world in 2024 to being someone in the top five last year, making his World Championship debut in Singapore and narrowly missing out on two individual medals (and claiming two in relays). The Russian native, who will turn 22 on Feb. 6, blasted a best time of 21.43 in the 50 free last April, which ranked him 4th in the world at the end of the year, and then followed up by going 21.5 in all three rounds of the event at the World Championships, ultimately placing 5th in the final in 21.53. In the 100 free, Kornev dropped a lifetime best of 47.29 in the semis at Worlds before placing 5th in the final (47.51), which matched his world ranking at year’s end. In Singapore, he also anchored the Russian men to gold and a new European Record in the 4×100 medley relay with a blistering 46.40 split, and led off the mixed 4×100 free relay in 47.69 as they won silver. As strong as Kornev was in long course last year, also ranking 26th in the world in the 50 fly (23.11), he was even better in short course. He finished 2025 ranked #1 in the world in the 100 free (44.99), 2nd in the 50 free (20.39), 3rd in both the 50 back (22.44) and 50 fly (21.73), and 8th in the 100 IM (51.33)–his 100 free performance also ranks him #5 all-time. Given his age and raw sprinting talent, the sky is the limit for Kornev over the next few years. He is in a position to accumulate big medal hauls at the European Championships and Short Course Worlds, with a real chance of winning individual gold at SC Worlds in four different events.
#26: Ilya Kharun, USA* (2025 Rank: 15) – Kharun’s announcement that he was changing his sporting representation to the United States from Canada in 2026 throws a wrench into where he should rank in this list, but since it’s a non-Olympic, non-LC World Championship year, it’s not a massive issue. He won’t be racing at the Commonwealth Games or Pan Pacific Championships this summer, but will be eligible to vie for a spot on the U.S. roster for the Short Course World Championships next fall. At the 2024 SC Worlds, Kharun won gold in the 200 fly, earned silver in the 50 fly, and delivered one of the most stunning relay legs in history, splitting 20.73 swimming fly on the Canadian mixed medley relay–nearly six-tenths under Noe Ponti‘s flat start world record. Kharun continued to show his short course prowess this past fall on the World Cup circuit, sweeping the 50 fly (going as fast as 21.69) and 200 fly (going as fast as 1:48.46) to earn a pair of Triple Crowns. If he does end up competing at Short Course Worlds, he’ll be a gold medal contender in the 50 and 200 fly. In the 100 fly, he should be in the hunt as well, coming off setting a best time of 48.35 at the World Cup, though he didn’t earn a win at any of the three stops due to Ponti and Josh Liendo. Kharun also notably set a Canadian Record in the SCM 50 free (20.72) that lasted for a week before it was broken by Liendo. And despite the fact that Kharun won’t be able to compete internationally during the long course season, he’ll still be able to taper for a meet and post times that shake up the world rankings, which hold more weight in the non-Olympic, non-World Championship year (his ineligibility for the summer championship meets did bump him down a bit from where he was initially slotted). In 2025, the 20-year-old, who will turn 21 on Feb. 7, ranked 3rd in the world in the 100 fly (50.07), 4th in the 50 fly (22.68) and 200 fly (1:53.41), and 67th in the 50 free (22.06) in the long course pool.
#25: Caspar Corbeau, Netherlands (2025 Rank: 52) – Corbeau had one of the best swims of 2025 last fall when he became the first man under the 2:00 barrier in the SCM 200 breaststroke, clocking 1:59.52 at the Toronto leg of the World Cup to erase Kirill Prigoda‘s mark of 2:00.16 set in 2018. Corbeau was a force throughout the entire World Cup, earning a Triple Crown in the 200 breast and claiming two victories apiece in the 50 and 100 breast, setting new Dutch Records (25.52/55.54) in both, to finish 3rd overall in the series. Prior to that, at the World Championships, the Dutchman had a strong showing by winning bronze in the 200 breast (2:07.73), placing 4th in the 100 breast (59.06 / 59.03 in semis) and taking 12th in the 50 breast (26.95 / 26.94 in prelims). The 24-year-old reset best times across all three distances in Singapore, finishing the year ranked 6th in the 200 breast, 10th in the 100 breast and 23rd in the 50 breast. In 2026, Corbeau is a medal contender in all three breast distances at Euros, and in the gold medal conversation in the 200 breast. His prospects are even better for Short Course Worlds, where he’s the clear favorite for gold in the 200 and one of the frontrunners in the other two distances.
#24: Josh Liendo, Canada (2025 Rank: 26) – Liendo only ranked top-25 in the world in one long course event last year, which is a startling stat given his ability. That one event was the 100 fly, where he sat 4th after clocking 50.09 in the World Championship final, missing a medal by two one-hundredths of a second. The rest of his long course performances were a bit off in 2025, finishing 13th at Worlds in the 50 fly (23.11), 30th in the 50 free (22.22) after going 21.88 at the Canadian Trials, and in the 100 free, he didn’t even qualify to contest the event in Singapore after finishing 3rd at Trials (48.62). Liendo did, however, perform well early in the year at the NCAA Championships, and then he closed out the calendar year with a bang on the World Cup circuit, setting a new world record in the SCM 100 fly (47.68) while adding Canadian Records in the 50 free (20.31) and 100 free (45.30). In addition to being #1 in the 100 fly, the 23-year-old finished 2025 ranked 1st in the 50 free and 5th in the 100 free in short course meters. Looking to 2026, he’s a gold medal contender in the 50 free and 100 fly at Short Course Worlds, and will be in the medal hunt in the 100 free. In long course, he’s already on the Canadian roster for the Commonwealth Games, and will certainly be in the field at Pan Pacs as well. The defending Commonwealth champion in the 100 fly will be favored for a repeat title, and we’re banking on him improving his LCM freestyle times this year after being slightly off in 2025, putting him firmly in the medal picture in the 50 and 100 at both international meets.
#23: Luke Hobson, USA (2025 Rank: 27) – After closing out 2024 on a high note by breaking the super-suited world record in the SCM 200 freestyle, Hobson entered new territory in 2025 in the long course pool, becoming just the sixth swimmer to crack the 1:44 barrier. Hobson clocked 1:43.73 at U.S. Nationals to take down Michael Phelps‘ longstanding U.S. Open Record of 1:44.10 from 2008, and then at the World Championships, he led the field through the 150 mark before being overtaken by David Popovici down the stretch to settle for the silver medal. Hobson still put up a time of 1:43.84, giving him two career sub-1:44 swims, and he added a 1:43.45 relay split on the American 4×200 free relay, though they missed the medals. The obvious favorite for gold at Pan Pacs in the 200 free, Hobson’s ranking is held back a bit as he’s yet to establish himself as a major medal contender in a second event, though he showed progress in the 400 free at the U.S. Open in December, setting a new best time of 3:45.85 to rank 22nd in the world for the year. Of course, he’ll also be the favorite to defend his SC world title in the 200 free, with a chance at re-lowering his world record time of 1:38.61.
#22: Daniel Wiffen, Ireland (2025 Rank: 6) – Coming off a historic year that included winning Olympic gold in the 800 free, Olympic bronze in the 1500 free and double gold in both events at the 2024 World Championships, 2025 was a quieter year for Wiffen, due in part to him dealing with appendicitis leading into Singapore. His fastest swims of the year came at the Irish Open Championships in April, posting times that ranked him 6th in the world in the 800 free (7:41.52) and 1500 free (14:42.71), and 36th in the 400 free (3:46.87). The 24-year-old did have a strong finish to 2025, however, winning gold in the 1500 free (14:13.96) and adding a pair of bronzes in the 400 free (3:37.02) and 800 free (7:30.14) at SC Euros. Wiffen has set some lofty goals for the year, looking to complete the career “grand slam” in 2026 by winning gold at the Commonwealth Games, European Championships and Short Course Worlds (and also to break 14 minutes in the SCM 1500), having already earned titles at the Olympics and LC Worlds. It’s a tall order, but not out of the question. He’s the second-fastest European of all-time in the 800 and 1500 free in long course, trailing German Sven Schwarz in the 800 and Italian Gregorio Paltrinieri–who has shifted his focus to open water–in the 1500, while in short course meters, Wiffen owns the world record in the 800 free (7:20.46) and ranks #3 all-time in the 1500 free (14:09.11).
#21: Shaine Casas, USA (2025 Rank: 30) – Incredibly talented but wildly unpredictable, Casas has the capability of winning multiple individual gold medals at the Pan Pacific Championships, but it’s also conceivable he doesn’t make any ‘A’ finals. The 26-year-old seems to be finding more consistency since Bob Bowman arrived at Texas, and Casas is coming off arguably the two best swims of his career, giving him some momentum heading into 2026. Those two performances came in the 200 IM, as Casas won silver at the World Championships in a time of 1:54.30, ranking him #4 all-time, and then followed up by breaking his own American Record in the SCM 200 IM (1:49.43) at the World Cup in Carmel. The 200 IM was the lone event that Casas earned a second swim in at Worlds, placing 19th in the 100 fly and 20th in the 50 back, but he did finish the year with an impressive list of world rankings. In addition ranking 2nd in the 200 IM, Casas ranked 4th in the world in the 50 back (24.23), 5th in the 100 fly (50.24), 21st in the 100 free (47.92), 24th in the 50 fly (23.10), 28th in the 100 back (53.54), 46th in the 200 free (1:46.49) and 66th in the 200 back (1:58.51). Looking to Pan Pacs, Casas could win gold in the 100 fly and 200 IM, and the 50 back could also be an event he claims a medal in. At Short Course Worlds, he’ll be one to watch across all three medley distances, having swept the 100 and 200 IM at the World Cup circuit and then winning the 400 IM at the last two stops in Westmont and Toronto in impressive fashion.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: SwimSwam’s Top 100 For 2026: Men’s #30-21
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