The first World Cup was held in 1989 and included only lead competition climbing events.

As of 2022,[4] the top 80 competitors of individual World Cup competitions are eligible to accrue points.

At the end of the season, the athlete with highest ranking in each discipline will be considered to be the overall winner of the World Cup series, and will be awarded a trophy.

For each season, results obtained by each athlete across events and across disciplines (Lead, Bouldering and Speed) are considered to determine a combined ranking.

[7] Only athletes participating in at least two competitions in each discipline (i.e. 2 in Bouldering, 2 in Lead, and 2 in Speed) were eligible for the combined title.

For each eligible athlete, the relative rankings obtained in the selected six events were multiplied together to determine a combined score.

For instance, in 2018 Jakob Schubert won the Combined World Cup with a score of 48 points, determined as shown in the table.

[8] Nevertheless, at the end of the season, combined World Cup rankings will be determined as well, with the same method applied in 2018, based on results across disciplines obtained by each athlete in six selected events.