Like the 2020–21 Grand Prix series, the World Championships were livestreamed on the ISU's YouTube channel with geographical restrictions for markets that have TV rights in place.

The 2015 Eurovision contest winner Måns Zelmerlöw and runner-up Polina Gagarina recorded the official song for the event, "Circles and Squares", which they performed live at the exhibition gala.

[4] Initial concerns about Swedish COVID restrictions led Lakernik to comment that the ISU would have considered moving the competition to Russia, if not for the Court of Arbitration for Sport ban on the country holding World Championship events.

[8] The council also announced that the World Championships' status as an Olympic qualification event would be reevaluated and any potential changes determined based on the entries received by the ISU as of the March 1, 2021 deadline.

[11] As early as November 2020, Skate Canada stated that there was a possibility, if the event continued as planned, that they would not send skaters due to insufficient COVID-19 protocols.

[12] Despite the cancellation of its national championships and lack of competitive opportunities for its skaters, Skate Canada announced its selection criteria for naming a Worlds team in January 2021.

[25][26] During the months preceding skaters' and officials' arrival in Stockholm, a petition calling for the ISU to implement a tighter bubble and stricter quarantine rules garnered thousands of signatures.

[18] In addition, a significant number of Russian skaters contracted COVID; at least 11 members of Russia's 17-person Worlds team tested positive at some point during the season.

[30] In addition, FSR's Alexandra Trusova's five-quad free skate performance, during which she fell multiple times and completed only one quad cleanly, was cited as an example of judges inflating TES and PCS marks in favor of "technical bravery over artistic brilliance".

[34] Delegations began arriving on March 20 and 21, and members underwent the required multiple PCR tests and quarantine period in their hotel rooms until a negative result was returned.

After receiving accreditation, limited testing was conducted and attendees were only required to fill out daily symptom questionnaires and undergo temperature checks.

[42] Skaters were eligible for the 2021 World Championships if they turned 15 years of age before July 1, 2020, and if they met the minimum technical elements score requirements.

However, due to the ongoing pandemic, the ISU extended the validity to scores attained at an ISU-recognized international competition at either the senior or junior level during the current or preceding two seasons.

[88] Anastasia Mishina / Aleksandr Galliamov of FSR became the first pairs team to win gold in their Worlds debut since Ekaterina Gordeeva / Sergei Grinkov of the Soviet Union did so in 1986.