French riders Jean Robic, Roger Rondeaux and André Dufraisse were the first riders to take the title at the UCI Cyclocross World Championships in the first decade after the event was created in 1950. Since the mid-1960s, however, the Belgians have won the most titles.
However, it has been Dutch rider Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) who is the most successful after taking her eight elite world title in 2022 to surpass the record previously held by her and Erik De Vlaeminck.
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) is the only active male rider with six world titles. The Dutchman took his first elite title in 2015 but was bested the next three years by Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma).
Van der Poel took over from 2019-2021 before both riders skipped the 2022 Worlds in Fayetteville, won by Tom Pidcock. Van der Poel added to his tally in 2023 and 2024.
Belgian Sanne Cant also has three titles but will not compete at Worlds this year, having not been competitive against the powerful Dutch women. Hanka Kupfernagel (Germany) was the first women's world champion and won four between 2000 and 2008.
This season, Fem van Empel (Jumbo-Visma), Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Shirin van Anrooij (Trek-Segafredo) have taken over as the top women from Lucinda Brand, who was injured early in the season, and Vos, who hasn't quite had the level of last year.
Other races have been added over the years, with junior men getting a title in 1979, under-23 men in 1996, under-23 women in 2016 and junior women in 2020.
