The ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2026 took place on the third day of the competition, with the women's free-skate score of 158.97 and personal best score of 162.97. Sakamoto and Chiba, who finished second and third at the last year's World Championships, were nearly nine points ahead of Chiba. Chiba's performance was her best finish at the World Championships and she is expected to be a major player at the 2030 Olympics. Alysa Liu, who won the gold medal, was the first step toward her eventual triumph at the 2026 Olympics. The free dance saw eight teams that scored over 80.0 in the rhythm dance, with 3.38 points separating Gilles and Poirier from Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud in fifth.