🚣♀️🚣♂️ Oxford v Cambridge, eight rival crews and upwards of 200,00 spectators lining the banks of the River Thames. The stage is set for the 80th Women’s Boat Race and 171st Men’s Boat Race which takes place on Saturday 4 April 2026 on the famous Championship Course stretching over 4.25 miles in west London.
Two sporting institutions are set to go oar-to-oar once again in the most famous rowing race in the world. The Boat Race returns on Saturday 4 April with Oxford looking for a change in fortunes in 2026 against their Cambridge rivals. The racing gets underway in the shadow of Putney Bridge and Fan Zones in Fulham and Hammersmith will be open. See below for full timings and spectator info!
Cambridge completed a clean sweep at The Boat Race in 2025. In the Women’s Boat Race, Cambridge made it eight wins in a row after the race had to be restarted early on following a clash of oars. Cambridge went on to win by 2 1/2 lengths. In the Men’s Boat Race the Light Blues put on a masterclass against their Oxford counterparts. Cambridge were peerless in their performance, winning by 5 1/2 lengths to chalk up a sixth victory in seven years. Their winning time was 16:56. The seventh fastest recorded time in history. Cambridge won both Reserve Races to underline their domination on the River Thames.
The records currently stand at 88-81 in favour of Cambridge Men and 49-30 in favour of Cambridge Women. What will the 2026 races bring? All paths lead to the banks of the River Thames to find out!
THE BOAT RACE – SPECTATING
🎟️ Spectating is free on the route. Check out the Fulham Fan Zone (near the start of the race by Fulham FC’s Riverside Stand adjacent to Bishops Park) guide here. And the Hammersmith Fan Zone (midway through the race) guide is here. *Both are open from 11am until 5pm.
Note: Timings based on 2025 and subject to confirmation.
👀 See below for a map of the course including a view from the Fulham Fan Zone. Plus 🕠 timings for the day and viewing sports and an introduction to the Boat Race followed by 📽️ exclusive interviews with members of the 2023 Oxford and Cambridge crews 👇
TIMINGS
Note: Timings below are based on 2025 and subject to confirmation.
– Fan parks open at 11am.
– 79th WOMEN’S RACE: Starts 1.21pm at Putney Bridge and will reach the finish at Chiswick Bridge shortly after 1.35pm.
– Osiris v Blondie (Women’s Reserve Race): Starts 1.36pm at Putney Bridge and will reach the finish shortly after 1.50pm.
– Osiris v Blondie (Men’s Reserve Race): Starts 1.51pm at Putney Bridge and will reach the finish at Chiswick Bridge shortly after 2.05pm.
– 169th MEN’S RACE: Starts 2.21pm at Putney Bridge and will reach the finish shortly after 2.35pm.
CREWS & VIEWING SPOTS FOR THE BOAT RACE
🚣♂️🚣♂️ SPOTTING THE CREWS
Both Cambridge crews (CUBC/CUWBC) wear light blue. Oxford crews (OUBC / OUWBC) wear dark blue. All four Clubs train and select the rowers and cox for their university’s crew who are all students. The four crews are known as the Blue Boats and are named after the award universities give their rowers for competing in the Race. Both universities have reserve crews. The men’s reserve boats are called Isis (Oxford) and Goldie (Cambridge) and the women’s reserve boats are called Osiris (Oxford) and Blondie (Cambridge).
🧐 BEST VIEWING SPOTS
Putney Bridge will be buzzing at the start as the crews gather in readiness for racing. The bridge itself and nearby banks of the River Thames offer viewing spots to watch the build-up and start of the race.
Fulham Fan Park (at Fulham FC’s Riverside Stand adjacent to Bishops Park) is near the start. It’s a perfect spot to soak up all the action with no less than 14 screens showing live action, live music, bars and delicious street food.
VIEW FROM THE FULHAM FAN ZONE @ FULHAM FC
En route Hammersmith Bridge is a favourite vantage point. This features a huge sweep of the river to view and the race reaching a critical stage as the Surrey bend comes into play. Hammersmith Fan Park in Furnival Gardens is ideal for viewing.
The race finishes finishes just before Chiswick Bridge. The University Boat Race Stone adjacent to The Ship pub in Mortlake marks the finish line.
🚊🚗 TRAVEL TIPS
Once you’ve decided where to watch the race use Transport for London to plan your journey.
BOAT RACE HISTORY
An iconic date on the UK sporting calendar the Boat Race is an annual contest between rowing crews from Oxford and Cambridge Universities. It takes place on the ‘Championship Course’. At 4 miles, 374 yards (6.8 km) long the course starts downstream of Putney Bridge before passing under Hammersmith Bridge and Barnes Bridge before finishing just before Chiswick Bridge.
The first Men’s Boat Race took place in 1829 in Henley on Thames moving to London after 1836. The first Women’s Boat Race took place in 1927 and moved to the Championship Course in 2015. The teams compete in eight-oared rowing boats. Each steered by a cox who sits in the stern or back of the boat. The record time over the course in the men’s race is 16 minutes 19 seconds, set by Cambridge in 1998. For the women’s race it’s 18 minutes 33 seconds, set by Cambridge in 2017.
PRESIDENTS’ CHALLENGE & CREW ANNOUNCEMENT
The annual build-up to the race gets underway at November’s Presidents’ Challenge. By tradition, the President of the previous year’s losing crews challenge their winning counterpart to an eight-oared race over The Championship Course. In early March the final crews are formally named at the Crew Announcement. Challenges are accepted and crews confirmed. And the Boat Race is then all set for the River Thames!
In November 2022 we spoke to Caoimhe Dempsey, President of Cambridge Women’s University Boat Club, and Tassilo von Mueller, President of Oxford University Boat Club, at the Presidents’ Challenge. They gave us an insight into their roles and what lay ahead for the respective squads in the lead up to the race. At the Crew Announcement in March 2023 Oxford Women’s Alison Carrington described what it’s like to be selected for the race having only discovered rowing at university. We also caught up with Team GB star Tom George who rowed for Cambridge in the 2022, on what it’s like to take part in the most famous boat race in the world.
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