Every year during the winter season, a number of competitions on different distances and on different locations are held.
The number of races per season per distance varies, but it is usually between five and ten.
Ten World Cup titles are awarded every season, five for men (the 500 m, the 1000 m, the 1500 m, the combined 5000 m / 10000 m, and the team pursuit), and five for women (the 500 m, the 1000 m, the 1500 m, the combined 3000 m / 5000 m, and the team pursuit).
The team pursuit was added to the World Cup in the 2005–06 season.
The mass start was re-introduced for both women and men in the World Cup in Astana in 2011.