The men's kayak cross event at the 2023 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships took place on 24 September 2023 at the Lee Valley White Water Centre in London.

Unlike in classic slalom, paddlers are allowed to touch the gates and even intentionally move them with their paddle, but not with a free hand.

Athletes can be penalized in three ways in each round, by receiving a fault (FLT) or by being ranked as lower (RAL).

Faults are incurred for false starts, missing gates or failing to correctly perform the Eskimo roll.

The final rank of athletes who did not progress to the heats is determined by their qualification results.