There were twelve races held in twelve countries, each held over a distance of 1500 m swim, 40 km cycle, 10 km run (an Olympic-distance triathlon).

The 2008 World Cup series marked the final year of this race and championship format as the ITU shifted its focus to developing the World Championship Series.

[1] At each race of the series points were awarded to the top 20 finishers per the table below.

In addition to the points awarded for the twelve World Cup legs, double points were awarded for results achieved in the ITU Triathlon World Championship race in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on 7–8 June 2008.

Note: Rank is arranged by total number of medals.