The Wanda Diamond League season reaches its conclusion this weekend at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme in Brussels, where the first set of 2026 champions will be crowned on Friday 4 September before the remaining disciplines are settled on Saturday. Beyond the Diamond Trophy itself, the stakes have been sharpened by the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship: a win in Brussels in any event on the Budapest programme guarantees a place at the 11-13 September meeting, where a prize fund of 10 million US dollars is on offer.
The men's 1500m carries the most intrigue. Jakob Ingebrigtsen arrives having already secured a wildcard for Budapest, and he sits 11th in the standings, outside the ten automatic qualifying places, but has been admitted to the field regardless. The Norwegian's comeback from almost a year out with an Achilles injury has been steady rather than spectacular: a European 5000m title in Birmingham, then fourth over 1500m in Silesia and fifth in Zurich. He faces 20-year-old Australian Cameron Myers, who won in Paris in a national record of 3:28.00, Olympic champion Cole Hocker and 2019 world champion Timothy Cheruiyot.
The night closes with the men's 400m and 22-year-old world champion Collen Kebinatshipi, who has twice lowered the Diamond League record this summer, first with 43.54 and then 43.44 in Monaco to move sixth on the world all-time list. Zakithi Nene and Jacory Patterson are the only other men in the field under 44 seconds this year. In the women's 200m, Julien Alfred defends an unbeaten season record that includes a 21.51 career best in Monaco, with Kayla White, Cambrea Sturgis and European quadruple champion Amy Hunt in pursuit.
The sprint hurdles offer an all-American contest with a world record undertone. Ja'Kobe Tharp broke Aries Merritt's 12.80, set in this same stadium in 2012, with 12.75 at the NCAA Championships in June, and he lines up against world champion Cordell Tinch, Jamal Britt and Trey Cunningham. Oblique Seville, already assured of his Ultimate place as world 100m champion, has a 9.82 season's best and wins in Eugene, Monaco and Silesia behind him; Christian Coleman, Trayvon Bromell and an African quartet all inside 9.93 this year make up the field.
Elsewhere on Friday, Emmanuel Wanyonyi renews his 800m rivalry with Djamel Sedjati a week after clocking 1:41.76 in Zurich, with Marco Arop and home favourite Elliot Crestan also entered. Faith Cherotich defends her steeplechase crown against Peruth Chemutai and Winfred Yavi, and Mondo Duplantis meets the top four from last year's World Championships in the pole vault, having cleared 6.20m or higher in each of his last three competitions. The women's shot put pits Chase Jackson against Jessica Schilder, both of whom have thrown beyond 21 metres this season.