# Which 2027 marathon major ballots are open?

> Six of the seven Abbott World Marathon Majors run a free-to-enter 2027 ballot. Boston is qualifying only, and its 2027 Registration Week is now confirmed for 14 to 18 September 2026. Dates, odds and links.

- Canonical: https://theticketlottery.com/guides/world-marathon-majors-2027-ballots
- Published 2026-07-12, updated 2026-09-04, facts last verified 1 September 2026
- Source: The Ticket Lottery (https://theticketlottery.com); not affiliated with any marathon organizer or the Abbott World Marathon Majors

Six of the seven Abbott World Marathon Majors run a free-to-enter ballot for 2027, and the odds are the same whether you apply on the first day or the last. Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York and Sydney all pick general-entry runners by random draw; only Boston has no lottery, admitting general runners on qualifying time instead. Entering is free at every major except New York, which charges a small non-refundable application fee. Tokyo's general entry ballot, the one anyone can enter, ran 14 to 28 August 2026 (its ONE TOKYO GLOBAL member draw and semi-elite route ran earlier, 31 July to 13 August), with results due 18 September 2026. London's 2027 ballot has been drawn and its confirmation deadline passed on 31 July 2026, so the next London ballot to enter is the 2028 one. Berlin, Chicago, New York and Sydney have not yet published 2027 dates: check the table below or [what is open right now](https://theticketlottery.com/open-now) for the next window to land.

## Which marathon majors have a 2027 ballot, and which do not?

Six do, one does not.

- **Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York, Sydney:** a random ballot or drawing decides general entry. Applying is free (except New York's application fee), and being drawn is pure luck, not speed.
- **Boston:** no public ballot. Entry is by qualifying time, submitted during Registration Week (14 to 18 September 2026 for the 2027 race), with a cut-off applied when the race is oversubscribed.

The free official ballot is always the cheapest route into any of these races. Charity places, tour-operator packages and "guaranteed" resale entries all exist, but they cost far more and none of them is the ballot. Enter the free draw first; treat everything else as a fallback if you miss out.

## When does each 2027 marathon ballot open, close and draw?

Windows are staggered across the back half of 2026. These are the confirmed and expected dates; each event page below is kept in sync with the official source:

- **[Tokyo Marathon 2027](https://theticketlottery.com/ballots/tokyo-marathon-2027):** general entry 14 to 28 August 2026, free to enter, results 18 September 2026. Race day 7 March 2027.
- **[TCS London Marathon 2027](https://theticketlottery.com/ballots/tcs-london-marathon-2027):** the 2027 ballot is closed and drawn, and result emails went out. A record 1,338,544 people applied. Successful applicants had to confirm by 16:00 BST on Friday 31 July 2026, and that deadline has passed, so a place not confirmed by then was lost. The next open ballot here is for 2028. Remaining 2027 routes are charity, Good for Age and club places.
- **[BMW Berlin Marathon 2027](https://theticketlottery.com/ballots/bmw-berlin-marathon-2027):** no 2027 lottery dates published yet; the official lottery page shows the 2026 edition only, whose window ran 25 September to 6 November 2025, so expect a similar autumn window.
- **[Bank of America Chicago Marathon 2027](https://theticketlottery.com/ballots/bank-of-america-chicago-marathon-2027):** 2027 drawing not yet open; the apply page shows the 2026 cycle and asks runners to join its mailing list to be told when 2027 applications open. Expected around mid-to-late October 2026 on the usual calendar.
- **[TCS New York City Marathon 2027](https://theticketlottery.com/ballots/tcs-new-york-city-marathon-2027):** 2027 drawing dates listed as "to be announced"; the 2026 window ran in February with the drawing in March.
- **[TCS Sydney Marathon 2027](https://theticketlottery.com/ballots/tcs-sydney-marathon-2027):** 2027 ballot not yet open; the official page shows the 2026 ballot only, which ran 24 September to 17 October 2025. Expected from late September 2026, its first cycle as the seventh World Marathon Major.

Any date shown as expected rather than confirmed is inferred from the previous cycle and carries an estimate marker on the event page. We re-check the official sites regularly and update the record the day a real date lands.

## What does it actually cost to enter?

Entering the ballot is free at Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago and Sydney: you enter card details at registration, but the entry fee is only charged if you are selected. New York is the exception. It charges a non-refundable application/processing fee (USD 11 in recent cycles) whether or not you get in, on top of the full entry fee if accepted.

If you are drawn, the entry fee itself varies a lot by race and by where you live. As a rough guide from the most recent cycles: Tokyo was JPY 19,800 domestic or USD 230 overseas; London 2027 is GBP 79.99 for UK entrants or GBP 275 international; Berlin's 2026 fee was EUR 205. Treat these as indicative until each race publishes its 2027 fee.

## What are the odds of getting a place?

Low, and getting lower, because these races are more oversubscribed every year. None of the majors publishes official ballot odds, but the application numbers tell the story: London drew a world-record 1,338,544 ballot applications for 2027, up 18% on the year before, and New York took more than 240,000 drawing applications in its 2026 cycle. Tokyo's general ballot has historically run at roughly 10 to 1 (an unofficial figure). Every application inside the window has an equal chance; there is no early-bird advantage and no way to buy better odds within the ballot itself.

Because any single ballot is a long shot, the realistic strategy is to enter several. Each is free (bar New York's small fee), the windows barely overlap, and entering five majors gives you a far better chance of running at least one than betting everything on one draw.

## Is there a Boston Marathon lottery?

Not one you can enter off the street. Boston is the only Abbott World Marathon Major with no general ballot: to enter as a general runner you must first run a certified qualifying time for your age and gender, then submit a registration application at [baa.org](https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/qualify/) during Registration Week. The B.A.A. has now confirmed those dates for the 2027 race: **14 to 18 September 2026**, with applications accepted until 17:00 ET on Friday 18 September. That was still listed as "to be announced" when we last checked on 12 July, and it was confirmed on the official qualifying page on 27 July 2026.

There is one genuinely random element, and it is worth being precise about because it gets described online as a lottery when it is not. Because more runners qualify than there are places, the B.A.A. applies a cut-off and admits the fastest applicants; then, to fill the field, it randomly selects roughly 1,000 further runners from the qualifiers whose times fell below that cut-off. You have to already hold a qualifying time to be in that pool, so it is a draw among qualifiers, not a public ballot. Hitting the standard is the opportunity to apply, not a guaranteed place. If you cannot run a qualifier, charity entry is the main alternative. Full detail is on the [Boston Marathon 2027 page](https://theticketlottery.com/ballots/boston-marathon-2027).

## What about the other big running ballots?

Beyond the seven majors, several other races run their own draws and appear in our [running ballots list](https://theticketlottery.com/sports/running): the [Nagoya Women's Marathon 2027](https://theticketlottery.com/ballots/nagoya-womens-marathon-2027) (general entry 17 to 24 September 2026, results early October), the [Generali Berlin Half Marathon 2027](https://theticketlottery.com/ballots/generali-berlin-half-marathon-2027), the [AJ Bell Great North Run 2027](https://theticketlottery.com/ballots/aj-bell-great-north-run-2027), the [Maratona dles Dolomites 2027](https://theticketlottery.com/ballots/maratona-dles-dolomites-enel-2027) road cycling draw, and the [UNBOUND Gravel 2027](https://theticketlottery.com/ballots/unbound-gravel-2027) lottery (1 to 15 November 2026, winners announced 21 November). Each one is free to enter unless the event page says otherwise.

We are not affiliated with any marathon organizer or the Abbott World Marathon Majors. This guide points you to the official free route for each race; always apply on the organizer's own site.

## Quick answers

**Which marathon majors have a ballot for 2027?**

Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York and Sydney all run a random ballot or drawing for 2027 general entry. Boston is the exception: it has no lottery and admits general runners on qualifying time. Entering a ballot is free at every major except New York, which charges a small non-refundable application fee.

**Are marathon ballots free to enter?**

For six of the seven Abbott World Marathon Majors, yes: you only pay the entry fee if you are drawn. New York is the one exception, charging a non-refundable application fee (USD 11 in recent cycles) whether or not you get a place. You never improve your odds by paying more or applying earlier in the window.

**Which 2027 marathon ballot is open right now?**

Tokyo's general entry ballot, the one open to anyone, ran 14 to 28 August 2026 (its ONE TOKYO GLOBAL member draw and semi-elite route ran earlier, 31 July to 13 August), with results due 18 September 2026. London's 2027 ballot is already closed and drawn, with its confirmation deadline passed on 31 July 2026, and Berlin, Chicago, New York and Sydney have not yet published their 2027 windows. Each event page carries the confirmed date the day it lands.

**Is there a Boston Marathon lottery?**

There is no public lottery anyone can enter. Boston admits general runners on qualifying time, and the B.A.A. has now confirmed Registration Week for 2027: 14 to 18 September 2026, closing at 17:00 ET on Friday 18 September. There is one random element, but it is not a public ballot: once the standard-qualifier field is filled, the B.A.A. randomly selects roughly 1,000 more runners from qualifiers whose times fell below the cut-off. You must already hold a qualifying time to be in that draw. Charity entry is the main non-qualifier route.

**When do 2027 marathon ballot results come out?**

Each race announces on its own schedule. Tokyo announces general ballot results on 18 September 2026. London's 2027 results went out in July 2026 and its confirmation deadline has passed. The others announce weeks after their windows close; every date and the official source sit on each event page, which we keep updated.

## Event pages

- [Tokyo Marathon 2027](https://theticketlottery.com/ballots/tokyo-marathon-2027)
- [TCS London Marathon 2027](https://theticketlottery.com/ballots/tcs-london-marathon-2027)
- [BMW Berlin Marathon 2027](https://theticketlottery.com/ballots/bmw-berlin-marathon-2027)
- [Bank of America Chicago Marathon 2027](https://theticketlottery.com/ballots/bank-of-america-chicago-marathon-2027)
- [TCS New York City Marathon 2027](https://theticketlottery.com/ballots/tcs-new-york-city-marathon-2027)
- [TCS Sydney Marathon 2027](https://theticketlottery.com/ballots/tcs-sydney-marathon-2027)
- [Boston Marathon 2027](https://theticketlottery.com/ballots/boston-marathon-2027)

## Sources

- [Tokyo Marathon: participants](https://www.marathon.tokyo/en/participants/)
- [TCS London Marathon: ballot](https://www.londonmarathonevents.co.uk/ballot)
- [BMW Berlin Marathon: lottery](https://www.bmw-berlin-marathon.com/en/registration/lottery)
- [Bank of America Chicago Marathon: apply](https://www.chicagomarathon.com/apply/)
- [TCS New York City Marathon: the drawing](https://www.nyrr.org/tcsnycmarathon/runners/the-drawing)
- [TCS Sydney Marathon: ballot information](https://www.tcssydneymarathon.com/ballot-information)
- [Boston Marathon: qualify](https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/qualify/)