Abbott World Marathon Majors · 2027 · checked Nov 5, 2026

How to get into the Majors

Seven draw a field. Boston takes a qualifying time. The orange line is today.

Apr 1, 2026 – Nov 30, 2027

The 2027 cycle

Open and next windows sit at the top.

Berlin

Lottery

Oct 1–Nov 12, 2026

GENERALI Berlin Marathon. Lottery. Open Oct 1–Nov 12, 2026. Results Dec 3, 2026. Race day Sep 26, 2027.

Open now

Closes in 7 days

New York

Drawing · typical

~ Feb 4–Feb 25, 2027

TCS New York City Marathon. Drawing. Open ~ Feb 4–Feb 25, 2027. Results Mar 4, 2027, typical. Race day Nov 7, 2027.

Upcoming

Opens in 91 days

Tokyo

Lottery

Aug 14–Aug 28, 2026

Tokyo Marathon. Lottery. Open Aug 14–Aug 28, 2026. Results Sep 18, 2026, reported. Race day Mar 7, 2027.

Results out

Results are out

Boston

Time qualifier

BQ week Sep 14–Sep 18, 2026

Boston Marathon. Time qualifier. BQ week Sep 14–Sep 18, 2026. No drawing results. Race day Apr 19, 2027.

BQ only

Time qualifier. No public lottery.

London

Ballot

Apr 24–May 1, 2026

TCS London Marathon. Ballot. Open Apr 24–May 1, 2026. Results Jul 9, 2026, reported. Race day Apr 24, 2027.

Results out

Results are out

Cape Town

Ballot

Jun 10–Jun 24, 2026

Sanlam Cape Town Marathon. Ballot. Open Jun 10–Jun 24, 2026. Results Jun 26, 2026, reported. Race day May 23, 2027.

Results out

Results are out

Sydney

Ballot

Sep 29–Oct 19, 2026

TCS Sydney Marathon. Ballot. Open Sep 29–Oct 19, 2026. Results Nov 3, 2026. Race day Aug 29, 2027.

Results out

Results are out

Chicago

Lottery

Oct 8–Oct 29, 2026

Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Lottery. Open Oct 8–Oct 29, 2026. Results Dec 8, 2026. Race day Oct 10, 2027.

Awaiting results

Results in 33 days

A dashed bar is a typical window from the previous cycle. A Reported results day came from a 3 November 2026 roundup and was not re-opened on the organizer page for this update. The close date still counts as open.

One list

Get reminded when lotteries open

We email you when a Major lottery, ballot, or drawing opens. The Sunday race note comes in the same letter. Boston is a qualifier, so it stays off that reminder. This is the existing Triprace list.

Dates

Notes on the numbers

Tokyo

General entry closed 28 August 2026. Reported acceptance for the international general lottery is often under 10%. Not an official rate.

Boston

No public lottery. Qualifier registration was 14–18 September 2026. The BAA's 29 September update put the cutoff 5:17 under the standard. About 1,000 further places were a draw among qualifiers who missed that cutoff.

London

The 2027 ballot is closed. Reported acceptance is often under 7.5%. Not an official rate.

The 2028 ballot usually opens during 2027 race week. That is the recent pattern, not a published date.

Cape Town

The general ballot is closed. The organizer has not published an acceptance rate. The window was about two weeks. Charity and travel programs are separate.

Sydney

Successful ballot cards were charged on 3 November 2026. Reported acceptance is the highest of these draws, around 33%. Not an official rate.

Berlin

Lottery open 1 October through 12 November 2026. Results by email 3 December 2026. Reported acceptance is around 20%. Not an official rate.

Chicago

The drawing closed 29 October 2026 at 2 p.m. Central. Bank of America said applicants hear on 8 December. Time, legacy, and charity routes were separate applications. Reported acceptance of the drawing is about 20–25%. Not an official rate.

New York

NYRR had not published a 2027 general drawing on the pages we checked, including the Team for Kids page opened 4 November 2026. These dates follow the 2026 drawing: open 4 February, close 25 February, results 4 March.

Race day is confirmed: Sunday 7 November 2027. Recent NYRR descriptions of the general drawing put acceptance around 1–4%. That is not a 2027 figure.

Questions we keep getting

+What is the difference between a lottery, a ballot, and a drawing?

Tokyo, Berlin, and Chicago say lottery. London, Cape Town, and Sydney say ballot. New York says drawing. In each case a dated window opens, you enter, and the organizer draws names for the general field. The word is theirs. The deadline is the part that matters.

+Does Boston have a lottery?

No. Boston has no public lottery. You need a qualifying time, then you register in the qualifier window. For 2027 that window was 14–18 September 2026. The BAA later set the cutoff 5:17 under the standard, and about 1,000 further places were a draw among qualifiers who missed it. That draw is not an open ballot.

+What if I miss the general draw?

Charity entries, tour operators, and time or championship paths sit beside the general draw at some races. London has Good for Age. New York has time qualifiers and a member second chance. Chicago has time, legacy, and charity routes. A tour package or a charity bib is a different contract, with its own price or fundraising floor. Read the organizer's rules before you pay anyone else.

+Are these dates final?

Bars without a Typical mark match a date published by the organizer or already stored on the race page. A dashed bar is a typical window from the previous cycle. New York's 2027 drawing was not on the NYRR pages we checked on 4 November 2026, so those dates follow the 2026 drawing and can move. A Reported results day came from a 3 November 2026 roundup and was not re-opened on the organizer page for this update. Confirm the live window on the official race site before you book travel.

Sources

Dates move. Confirm the live window on the official race site before you book flights. The Major guides cover the course and the weekend once you have a bib.