Hirscher and Vonn Get Green Light Again: FIS Confirms 2026/27 Wild Cards

Current alpine skiing continues to find new ways to prolong the story of its great champions. Marcel Hirscher and Lindsey Vonn, two names that seemed to definitively belong to another era of the circuit, are once again at the center of conversation ahead of the start of the 2026/27 World Cup. The FIS has confirmed the conditions that will regulate wild cards during the new season and, with them, the possibility for both to compete starting with bib number 31, immediately after the world Top 30.

The decision holds particular importance for Hirscher. The eight-time World Cup overall winner is working to return to competition after a long absence caused by the knee injury that interrupted his first comeback. The Austrian, who has been competing under the Dutch flag since his return, has resumed training on snow and keeps open the possibility of being at the inaugural giant slalom in Sölden, scheduled for the end of October.

His recent history has been anything but conventional. After retiring in 2019 as one of the most dominant skiers of all time, Hirscher surprised the skiing world by announcing his return five years later. He did so representing the Netherlands, his mother's country of origin, and benefiting precisely from the wild card system created to allow former champions to re-enter the circuit without having to rebuild their position on the FIS lists from scratch.

His return in Sölden in 2024 ended with a 23rd position in giant slalom. This was followed by two slalom appearances, in Levi and Gurgl, before an anterior cruciate ligament tear during training in December of that year brought his career to a halt again. Since then, the recovery process has been long, and his return to the World Cup has become one of the great unknowns at the start of this winter.

The wild card now removes one of the main sporting obstacles. Hirscher will be able to start with bib number 31, avoiding having to compete from very far back positions or previously rebuild his ranking in lower-category events. It does not necessarily mean he will be in Sölden, but it does mean that, if he decides to, the competitive structure is ready to welcome him.

Vonn, a different case

Lindsey Vonn's situation is different. The American also appears among the athletes covered by the regulations, although her results during the 2025/26 season allowed her to score enough points to compete without needing to use a wild card.

Her potential return to competition is also conditioned by her physical recovery. After returning to the circuit following almost six years of retirement and demonstrating that she could still compete at the highest level, Vonn suffered a serious injury during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. For now, there is no confirmed date to see her at a starting gate again.

What is relevant goes beyond these two names. The FIS seems determined to consolidate a tool that allows some of the great figures in its history to return to the highest level without being penalized for years of absence. To access this mechanism, athletes must meet specific sporting criteria linked to their historical results and their period outside of competition.

The measure also raises an interesting question for the future of alpine skiing. In a discipline that competes every winter to expand its international audience, bringing back names like Hirscher or Vonn means much more than adding two bibs to a start list. These are athletes capable of transcending the circuit itself, attracting new audiences, and turning a World Cup race into an event that surpasses the traditional limits of the sport.

Sölden could once again be the perfect stage to prove it. Two years after starring in one of the most unexpected comebacks in recent skiing history there, Marcel Hirscher once again has the door open.

This time, the bib number is already waiting.