The format was a knock-out round competition with the pairings being made according to the Nations Cup Ranking.

In each pairing, two female and two male skiers from each team raced a parallel slalom in a best-of-4 system.

In the event of a tie, the faster cumulated time of the best male and the best female skier decides which team advanced to the next round.

[1] The standings prior to the World Championships:[2] Spain was eligible to participate, but decided not to.

After the withdrawal of Spain and with only 15 nations remaining, top-seed Austria received a bye to second round.