It was the 28th official World Cup season in cross-country skiing for men and women.

The season began on 22 November 2008 with 15 km freestyle races for women in Gällivare, won by Charlotte Kalla of Sweden.

Both men's and women's events tend to be held at the same resorts over a 2 or 3 day period.

The Tour de Ski is a series of events which count towards the World Cup.

The table shows the number of points won in the 2008–09 Cross-Country Skiing World Cup for men and women.