Oxford and Cambridge are set to write the latest chapter of a near-200-year rowing rivalry as their best students face off once again on the River Thames.
The traditional inflection point of sport and academia, the Boat Race is an event unlike any other, and with Olympians, world champions and chemistry undergraduates teaming up and feeling the burn in the waters of west London, this year’s race is sure to feature plenty of intrigue.
Cambridge have had the upper hand of late, with the women’s crew undefeated since 2016 and the men tasting success for the past three years. Can they extend their streak?
– The Boat Race LIVE: Latest Updates as Oxford and Cambridge compete on River Thames
What is the Boat Race?
Contested by two of the country’s most famous institutions, the Boat Race is steeped in history. Oxford (dark blues) and Cambridge (light blues) have gone head to head since 1829 in a race that takes place over a 4.2-mile-long stretch of the Thames between Putney and Mortlake in west London.
While the men’s race has a near 200-year history, the women’s race was first introduced in 1927 and has been contested on the same day and at the same location as the men’s since 2015.
Organisers say that more than 200,000 spectators line the banks of the river each year to watch arguably the blue riband event of amateur sport in the UK.
Known as the Championship Course, the 4.2-mile race route follows the winding River Thames, passing Fulham‘s Craven Cottage home and under Hammersmith Bridge and Barnes Bridge. It finishes just before Chiswick Bridge.
Boat Race 2026 Date, time, schedule
The Thames will play host to the 80th women’s Boat Race ahead of the 171st men’s event. The Boat Race usually takes place on a Sunday, but this year marks a break with tradition.
The men’s race takes place an 1½ hours before high tide. The women’s boat sets off a further hour before that so crews are rowing with the fastest possible water current.
When: Saturday April 4, 2026.
Schedule:
All times BST
How to watch the Boat Race
ESPN will be at the finish line in Mortlake to provide minute-by-minute updates from this year’s Boat Race.
The event will also be shown on Channel 4 after the broadcaster took over television rights from the BBC. Channel 4 will show the annual event until at least 2028.
This is not the first time the Boat Race has been broadcast away from the BBC. ITV had the rights in the UK from 2005 until 2009.
But with Times Radio picking up the radio rights to this year’s meeting, the 2026 Boat Race will be the first time the BBC will not broadcast the contest in any live format.
There are multiple spots along the Thames popular with spectators. Revellers typically watch from riverside pubs and opt to congregate on the towpath at Putney and Chiswick Bridge.
Boat Race winners
Cambridge won both the women’s and men’s races last year, extending Oxford’s winless streak on the Thames.
The record books are tipped firmly in Cambridge’s favour: Cambridge lead Oxford 49-30 in the women’s race and 88-81 in the men’s.
Oxford are without a win in the women’s race since 2016. They lost last year’s contest by 2½ lengths. In the men’s race, Cambridge, who prevailed by an impressive 5½ lengths in 2025, are on a three-year winning streak.
The Boat Race records
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Cambridge boast the longest winning run in the contest’s history: they won 13 men’s races in a row between 1924 and 1936
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The light blues prevailed by 35 lengths in 1839 — the biggest winning margin in Boat Race history
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Women’s race course record: 18 minutes, 22 seconds (2022). Men’s race course record: 16 minutes, 19 seconds (1998)
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Oxford won by the closest winning margin on record (one foot or 30cm) in a dramatic race in 2003.
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The heaviest oarsman in race history was Cambridge’s 2007 rower Thorsten Engelmann who tipped the scales at 17st. 6.43lbs (110.8kg). Cambridge alumni James Letton (6 ft. 10 in.) is the tallest to have raced.
