It began on 29 November 2008 at the Rukatunturi ski jumping hill in Kuusamo, Finland, and finished on 22 March 2009 at Planica, Slovenia.

The overall winner of the 2008/09 World Cup was Gregor Schlierenzauer of Austria, who won 13 of the 27 individual competitions, breaking Janne Ahonen's single-season record of 12 wins in a season.

Harri Olli of Finland finished fourth in the overall standings after a late-season run that gave him the first three World Cup wins of his career.

Russia's Dimitry Vassiliev rounded out the top five, while defending champion Thomas Morgenstern of Austria finished in a, by his standards, disappointing 7th place overall, failing to win a single individual competition this season.

Okura Ski Jump Stadium, Japan 1 February 2009 Competition cancelled due to strong winds and heavy snow.