Berlin Marathon Lottery Odds, Explained
The BMW Berlin Marathon lottery accepts roughly 20% of applicants, the second-best published odds among the Majors after Chicago's 25%. That figure comes from SCC Events itself. What doesn't come from SCC Events is anything else: no application count, no number of lottery places, no year-over-year trend. Berlin is the only legacy Major that publishes a rate without publishing the numbers behind it.
How do the Berlin Marathon lottery odds work?
General entry is a random draw. The 2026 race lottery opened September 25, 2025 and closed November 6, 2025, with results emailed November 27, 2025, for the September 27, 2026 race. Entry costs €205, charged only if you are drawn. SCC Events states the acceptance rate publicly, around 20%, but has never released how many people applied or how many lottery places exist within the 54,000-runner field. The Berlin ballot history page carries every figure SCC Events has actually published, edition by edition.
Why doesn't Berlin publish application numbers?
No public explanation exists, and asking why is speculation the organizer hasn't invited. What can be said is that the gap is consistent every year: race recaps cover finisher counts, course conditions, and elite results in detail, and simply never mention entries or a lottery pool size. Runners comparing Majors by raw demand (Chicago's 200,000+ applicants, New York's 240,000+) have no equivalent Berlin number to put alongside them.
Is there a way into Berlin that skips the lottery?
Yes, and it is unusually generous. Berlin's Good for Age standards guarantee entry outside the lottery at 2:45 for men and 3:10 for women in the 18 to 34 band, easing with age. Those are the loosest GFA times of any Major that offers one, which is why Berlin's own FAQ calls it the most accessible qualifier route among the eight. Charity partners offer bibs from a €1,500+ fundraising minimum, also the lowest charity floor of any Major. Between a forgiving lottery, an easy-to-hit GFA time, and the cheapest charity minimum, Berlin gives applicants more non-lottery doors than most of the field.
What if the lottery says no?
Move to Good for Age if your time clears the standard, or a charity partner if it doesn't. Both routes open on their own timeline, independent of the lottery result, so a no in late November doesn't have to mean waiting a full year. The full guide to entering Berlin covers every route, including official tour-operator packages, in more depth.
How does Berlin compare to the other Majors?
Only Chicago's roughly 25% beats it among the seven Majors that run a lottery. Sydney currently tops the whole field at roughly 32.5%, but that ballot has different mechanics and a much younger track record. The Marathon Ballot Simulator shows how a 20% single-year rate compounds if you plan to keep entering Berlin's lottery in future cycles, and every Major ranked by odds puts Berlin's number next to the other seven.
Berlin's next lottery is expected to open around September or October 2026, admitting the 2027 race; free Berlin ballot alerts cover the window the moment it's confirmed.
Sources: BMW Berlin Marathon: Lottery, BMW Berlin Marathon: Registration information