This season’s ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating enters its second half with the NHK Trophy taking place this weekend in Osaka, Japan.

When is it on?

NHK Trophy begins Friday, 7 November with the rhythm dance and concludes Sunday, 9 November with the exhibition gala.

Who is skating?

Yuma Kagiyama (JPN) gets his Grand Prix season under way in Osaka with an eye on picking up a third consecutive NHK Trophy men’s title. His biggest challenge appears to be teammate Shun Sato (JPN) who won Cup of China two weeks ago and will be gunning for Grand Prix Final qualification. 2025 European champion Lukas Britschgi (SUI) finished just off the podium at Grand Prix de France and seeks to improve on that result this weekend. Three-time European medallist Matteo Rizzo (ITA) had a poor start to his season with an 11^th place at Lombardia, but took silver at Nepela Memorial and then gold at the Swiss Ice Skating Open.

Kaori Sakamoto (JPN) performed well at Grand Prix de France and was unlucky to come up against Ami Nakai (JPN) who was on top form in Angers. The three-time World champion should have an easier time of it in the women’s event and it would be a surprise if she were not to win a fourth NHK Trophy title. After sitting out almost the entirety of last season, Loena Hendrickx (BEL) returned to competition in September at the Skate to Milano Olympic qualifier where she took a bronze medal and an additional spot for Belgium at the 2026 Olympic Games. Wakaba Higuchi (JPN) got her season off to a disappointing start with an 11^th place at the Kinoshita Group Cup in September and the 2018 World silver medallist will be aiming to turn her season around.

Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii (ITA) followed wins at Lombardia Trophy and Tayside Trophy with a solid silver medal at Cup of China. The Italians finished ahead of 2022 Olympic pairs champions Wenjing Sui and Cong Han (CHN) who were very underwhelming in Chongqing. Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko (HUN) bagged a bronze at Grand Prix de France last month and look like a safe bet to pick up another medal in Osaka.

The ice dance event is an intriguing proposition. Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson (GBR) narrowly missed out on gold at Grand Prix de France and a similar performance at NHK Trophy should see them safely through to the Grand Prix Final. For Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri (ITA) victory in Osaka is a must if they are to join the British back in Japan in December after their fourth place in Angers. The biggest question mark will be over Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani (USA) who are returning to competition for the first time since winning bronze at the 2018 Olympics.

Everything you need to know (and some things you did not) about the skaters, the competition schedule and results can be viewed here.

When is the skating on?

Through the night in North America, morning till lunchtime in Europe and afternoon till evening in Asia. The times listed for NHK Trophy are local and if you want to know what the time difference is between where you are and Osaka then this link is your friend.

Where can I watch the pretty skaters?

This season’s ISU Grand Prix can be viewed on the Skating ISU YouTube channel. Geographic restrictions may apply.

What are the hashtags?

#NHK杯フィギュア #GPFigure #FigureSkating