The FIS Council granted Marcel Hirscher four wildcards for slalom and four for giant slalom races.
Hirscher will start directly behind the top 30 seeded skiers, with wildcards deducted only when he finishes outside the top 30.
The 37-year-old skier tore his left knee cruciate ligament in December 2024 after competing in only three races for the Netherlands.
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) confirmed during its autumn council meeting in Geneva that Marcel Hirscher has received eight wildcards for the upcoming Alpine Ski World Cup season. The allocation provides the 37-year-old racer with four entries in slalom and four in giant slalom. Under the framework approved by the governing body, Hirscher will carry bib number 31 in each designated event. This assignment places him immediately behind the top 30 seeded skiers, sparing him from having to compete in lower-tier continental cup races or begin at the back of the World Cup starting grid. The system includes a retention mechanism: if Hirscher finishes within the top 30 of a race, his wildcard total remains untouched, but finishing outside the top 30 deducts one entry from his remaining pool.
Hirscher, an eight-time overall World Cup winner who represents the Netherlands, is working toward a second competitive comeback after nearly two years off the circuit. The Austrian-born skier originally stepped away from professional ski racing in 2019 before returning under the Dutch flag in 2024. After earning points in his first three races of that campaign, he suffered a torn cruciate ligament in his left knee during a training accident in December 2024. The injury forced him to miss the rest of the winter as well as the Olympic Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. In late September and early October 2026, Hirscher resumed on-snow preparation at Cerro Castor in Ushuaia, Argentina, training alongside members of the French women's national team. He commented on his return to physical form in a public statement online.
“Great to be here, back on the snow and putting in some good training days.”
Over his career, Hirscher accumulated 67 World Cup victories, seven World Championship titles, two Olympic gold medals in 2018, and 12 small crystal globes across slalom and giant slalom disciplines. The 2026/2027 World Cup tour opens on 25 October on the Rettenbach glacier in Sölden, Austria. While Hirscher has not formally confirmed whether he will enter the Sölden giant slalom, the administrative path for his participation is cleared.
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The FIS Council also approved eight wildcards for 41-year-old American skier Lindsey Vonn, an 84-time World Cup winner. Vonn underwent multiple knee and lower-leg operations following a crash at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, and she has not expressed an intention to return to the circuit. In the same Geneva meeting, the council discarded plans to stage an additional World Championship in 2028. A feasibility assessment determined that the short marketing window posed execution and commercial risks, though FIS continues to evaluate holding extra championships in non-Olympic even years starting in 2032.
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The International Ski and Snowboard Federation has approved eight start spots for 37-year-old Marcel Hirscher, clearing the way for his return after an ACL injury in December 2024.
AI text based on reports by N-tv, NOS, europa press and other publishers. Published .