Your guide to the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships in Boston, a crucial step on the road to the Olympics

The most prestigious annual figure skating competition, they bring together the best of the best each March, with medals handed out in men’s singles, women’s singles, pairs, and ice dance.

The championships have been held annually since 1896, with a few exceptions. World Wars canceled them from 1915-21 and 1940-46, the 1961 event was canceled after a plane crash killed the US team, and the 2020 edition was nixed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Medals for men’s singles have been awarded since the inaugural championships. Women’s singles was introduced in 1906, followed by pairs in 1908 and ice dance in 1952.

The world championships are figure skating’s most prestigious annual event, but their importance are superseded by one competition: the Olympics.

With the 2026 Games in Milan and Cortina less than a year away, the world championships in Boston take on extra importance as they will determine the entry quotas for each federation.

Individual skaters will not be qualifying for the Olympics with their performances in Boston, but they will earn spots at the Games — up to a maximum of three — for their country.

Men’s and women’s singles and pairs each more or less follow the same format: a short program, with an allotted time of 2 minutes, 40 seconds (with 10 seconds of leeway either side); then a longer free skate of four minutes, again each with 10 seconds of leeway.

Each skater’s (or pair’s) scores from the two programs are added to determine their final score.

Ice dance follows a similar format: a shorter rhythm dance routine of 2:50 (plus or minus 10 seconds) followed by a longer free dance of four minutes (plus or minus 10 seconds), with the scores from the routines added to determine a final score.

The World Figure Skating Championships will be broadcast on NBC’s family of platforms, with coverage across NBC, USA, and Peacock.

The women’s and men’s free skates, on Friday and Saturday, respectively, will air on NBC starting at 8 p.m. The rest of the events will be available on USA and Peacock, with the latter streaming service providing live coverage of every skater in every discipline.

Here’s the schedule of events at TD Garden:

All day — Practice

12:05-4:45 p.m.: Women’s short program (TV: USA, 3 p.m.)

6:15 p.m.: A tribute and remembrance

6:45-10:20 p.m.: Pairs short program (TV: Peacock, 6:45 p.m.)

11:05 a.m.-4:45 p.m.: Men’s short program (TV: USA, 3 p.m.)

6:15-9:55 p.m.: Pairs free skate (TV: USA, 8 p.m.)

10 p.m.: Pairs victory ceremony

11:15 a.m.-4:55 p.m.: Ice dance rhythm dance (TV: USA, 3 p.m.)

6-9:52 p.m.: Women’s free skate (TV: NBC, 8 p.m.)

10 p.m.: Women’s victory ceremony

1:30-4:50 p.m.: Ice dance free dance (TV: USA, 3 p.m.)

5 p.m.: Ice dance victory ceremony

6-9:52 p.m.: Men’s free skate (TV: NBC, 8 p.m.)

10 p.m.: Men’s victory ceremony

2:00 p.m.: Exhibition of Champions

Single-session tickets for the World Figure Skating Championships at TD Garden are available through Ticketmaster. The ISU has links to tickets for each session on its website.

The get-in price for several events — including all three short program sessions and both ice dance sessions — is in the range of $35 to $40 before fees, as of Wednesday.

The most expensive sessions are the men’s and women’s free skates, with the cheapest tickets going for $65-$75, while seats in the lower bowl generally listed north of $200.

Here are a few names to keep an eye on.

Ilia Malinin (US): Perhaps the biggest star in skating, and the reigning world and US champion. Nicknamed the “Quad God,” Malinin is known for his unparalleled quadruple jumps, and is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in international competition.

Yuma Kagiyama (Japan): Always the bridesmaid, Kagiyama’s medal cabinet is filled with silver (two from Olympics, three from worlds) but little gold. After finally claiming his first Japanese title in December, he will be eyeing his first global gold in Boston.

Others to watch: Adam Siao Him Fa (France), last year’s bronze medalist and two-time European champion, known for his backflips and a podium contender ... Jason Brown (US), two-time Olympian, confirmed earlier this month that he will compete at Worlds after missing January’s US championships.

Amber Glenn (US): One of the favorites to medal for the US is looking to cap an undefeated season with gold. Glenn is the two-time defending US champion and took gold at December’s Grand Prix Final.

Kaori Sakamoto (Japan): The three-time defending world champion and 2022 Olympic bronze medalist, Sakamoto has the most impressive résumé in the women’s field and will be chasing the first four-peat in women’s singles since Carol Heiss won five in a row from 1956-60.

Others to watch: Kim Chae-yeon (South Korea), last year’s bronze medalist, is on a hot streak with gold medals at the Korean championships, the Four Continents, and the Asian Winter Games (upsetting Sakamoto) ... Isabeau Levito (US), last year’s silver medalist and 2023 US champion, recently returned to competition after several months on the sideline ... Alysa Liu (US), two-time US champion and 2022 world bronze medalist, finished runner-up to Glenn at January’s US championships and could contend for another medal.

Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov (US): Trained at Norwood’s Skating Club of Boston, Efimova and Mitrofanov won their first US title together in January and will have a hometown crowd behind them as they seek their first global medal.

Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps (Canada): The reigning world champions will look to defend their title after claiming their third straight Canadian crown. Stellato-Dudek, 41, is the oldest woman to win a world figure skating title in any discipline.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates (US): American skating’s ever-presents, the defending world champions enter their 15th world championships together in search of a third consecutive gold. The two won a fourth consecutive (and sixth overall) US title in January.

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (Canada): Silver medalists in 2024 after bronzes in 2021 and 2023, Gilles (born in the US) and Poirier come to Boston chasing a long-awaited gold after winning a fourth Canadian title in January.

Amin Touri can be reached at amin.touri@globe.com.