Every Major hands out its bibs the same four ways: a ballot or lottery, a qualifying time, a charity place, or a tour operator package. 7 of the 8 run a random draw for general entry; Boston alone is qualifier-only. No windows are open right now; the next is Tokyo on Aug 14, 2026. Every window, fee, and published acceptance rate is below.
| Race | Entry | Next ballot | Entry fee | Odds | Qualifying | Next race |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney MarathonSydney · Australia | Ballot | Sep 24 to Oct 17, 2026OPENS SEP 24, 2026 | AU$280 local / AU$330 international | ~32.5% | Priority entry: 2:53 M · Priority entry: 3:13 F | Aug 30, 2026Field 40,000 |
| Berlin MarathonBerlin · Germany | Lottery | Sep 25 to Nov 6, 2025CLOSED | €205, charged if drawn | ~20% | Good-for-age: 2:45 M · Good-for-age: 3:10 F | Sep 27, 2026Field 54,000 |
| Chicago MarathonChicago · USA | Lottery | Oct 21 to Nov 18, 2025CLOSED | $250 US / $260 international | ~25% | Time qualifier: 2:50 M · Time qualifier: 3:20 F | Oct 11, 2026Field 52,000 |
| New York City MarathonNew York · USA | Lottery | Feb 4 to Feb 25, 2026CLOSED | $255 NYRR member / $315 non-member | ~1% | Time qualifier: 2:53 M · Time qualifier: 3:13 F | Nov 1, 2026Field 55,000 |
| Tokyo MarathonTokyo · Japan | Lottery | Aug 14 to Aug 28, 2026OPENS AUG 14, 2026 | ~¥23,300 overseas, charged if drawn | ~10% | 2:21 M · 2:52 F | Mar 7, 2027Field 38,000 |
| Boston MarathonBoston · USA | Qualifier | Sep 8 to Sep 12, 2026OPENS SEP 8, 2026 | $260, charged on acceptance | Qualifying only | BQ: 2:55 (M 18–34) M · BQ: 3:25 (F 18–34) F | Apr 19, 2027Field 30,000 |
| London MarathonLondon · United Kingdom | Ballot | Apr 24 to May 1, 2026CLOSED | £79.99 UK / £225 international | ~1.3% | Good-for-age: 2:52 M · Good-for-age: 3:38 F | Apr 25, 2027Field 56,000 |
| Cape Town MarathonCape Town · South Africa | Ballot | Jun 10 to Jun 24, 2026CLOSED | R5 to apply, race fee charged on success | Not yet published | None | May 23, 2027Field 27,000 |
Odds are the most recent published acceptance rate per organiser, never finishers over applications · Dates from public announcements
Free · No signup · Compounds the published rates year by year
Random-draw ballot for general entry. Priority/Good-for-Age standards (sub-2:53 men open / sub-3:13 women open) bypass the ballot. Charity bibs from AU$1,500+ via official partners.
Priority-entry times are non-guaranteed and heavily oversubscribed. For most runners the ballot is the only realistic route in.
General entry is by lottery. Good-for-age times guarantee entry.
The organisers never publish application counts, so treat the odds as an estimate. Team entries live or die as a single ticket.
General entry is by lottery. Good-for-age times guarantee entry.
Nothing is charged unless you win, but a win is binding: no refunds, no deferrals, no transfers.
General entry is by lottery. Fifteen-plus-year NYRR members and 9+1 finishers get guaranteed entry.
The 9+1 guaranteed route must be completed the calendar year before the race, so the reliable way in starts two years out.
General entry is by lottery. Priority entry is available to runners with a sub-elite qualifying time.
Winning the draw is only half the job. Miss the payment window and the bib is quietly released to the second draw.
Boston is qualifier-only. Your qualifying time must be run on a certified marathon course within the BAA's qualifying window, and cutoffs are typically faster than the published standard.
A BQ is not a bib. Entry goes to the fastest applicants in each age group, and the real cutoff floats minutes under the published standard.
General entry is by ballot. Good-for-age times offer a separate, faster route in. A new 'double your chances' option enters you into a second draw at a reduced fee.
The ballot opens within days of the race and closes about a week later. Blink in late April and you wait a full year.
Random-draw ballot for general entry, with a non-refundable R5 application fee donated to charity. No time-qualifying standards exist. Candidacy Club members (2022 to 2024 finishers) get priority entry, and international tour operator and charity entries open June 26, 2026.
The application fee is not the entry fee. Get drawn and the full race fee is charged to your card automatically on results day.
Four routes cover all 8 races: the ballot or lottery, a qualifying time (Good-for-age, time qualifier, or Boston's BQ), a charity place, or an official tour operator package. 7 of the 8 run a random draw for general entry; Boston is qualifier-only. Cape Town has no time standards at all, so the ballot and charity places are the ways in.
Sydney at ~32.5%, Chicago at ~25%, Berlin at ~20% have the best published ballot odds. If you have a fast time, Boston and the Good-for-age routes at Berlin and Chicago are more predictable than any draw.
New York at ~1% and London at ~1.3% are the longest ballot odds. Boston is a different kind of hard: there is no ballot, entry is earned with a qualifying time and the cutoff usually lands minutes under the published standard.
Eight. Tokyo, Boston, London, Sydney, Berlin, Chicago, New York, and Cape Town, which joins the series as the eighth Major at its Sunday, May 23, 2027 edition, the first Major in Africa. Shanghai is a candidate race, not yet a Major.
Only for Boston (BQ: 2:55 (M 18–34) men, BQ: 3:25 (F 18–34) women). Everywhere else a fast time is a shortcut, not a requirement: Good-for-age at London and Berlin, time qualifiers at Chicago and New York, priority entry at Sydney. Cape Town has no time standards.
Most ballots charge only successful applicants. Current entry fees: Sydney AU$280 local / AU$330 international; Berlin €205, charged if drawn; Chicago $250 US / $260 international; New York $255 NYRR member / $315 non-member; Tokyo ~¥23,300 overseas, charged if drawn; Boston $260, charged on acceptance; London £79.99 UK / £225 international; Cape Town R5 to apply, race fee charged on success.