The road to the Milan Cortina Games runs directly through Nagoya, Japan. The Grand Prix Final has arrived, serving as the premier figure skating event of the fall season. For the athletes, this isn’t just another stop on the circuit; it is a high-stakes “mini preview” of the Olympic competition to come.
The Figure Skating event, running Thursday through Sunday, features the top six skaters per discipline who qualified during the grueling Grand Prix Series in October and November. For the first time, the Final boasts a field that includes every reigning World Championships medalist, setting the stage for a dramatic showdown in Nagoya.
Ilia Malinin Looks to Extend Figure Skating Dominance
All eyes will be on US Figure Skating favorite Ilia Malinin. He is currently riding a massive wave of momentum, putting a two-year, 12-event winning streak on the line. This streak is significant; it is currently one win shy of the run that 2022 Olympic gold medalist Nathan Chen put together between 2018 and 2021.
Malinin has been untouchable this season. In his three starts, he posted the top three scores in the world by a wide margin. At Skate Canada International, he set a new world record free skate score of 228.97 points, winning by an average of over 58 points in his victories in France and Canada. His primary challenger remains Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, the 2022 Olympic silver medalist, who will have the home crowd behind him.
2025 Grand Prix Final TV Schedule
For fans watching Figure Skating from home, the action airs live on Peacock, with highlights and recaps on E! and NBC.
Thursday (December 4)
- Pairs’ Short Program: 5 a.m. ET (Peacock)
- Men’s Short Program: 6:15 a.m. ET (Peacock)
- Rhythm Dance: 7:20 a.m. ET (Peacock)
- Day 1 Highlights: 9 a.m. ET (E!)
Friday (December 5)
- Pairs’ Free Skate: 5:35 a.m. ET (Peacock)
- Women’s Short Program: 7 a.m. ET (Peacock)
- Day 2 Highlights: 8 a.m. ET (E!)
Saturday (December 5)
- Free Dance: 3:35 a.m. ET (Peacock)
- Men’s Free Skate: 6 a.m. ET (Peacock)
- Women’s Free Skate: 7:15 a.m. ET (Peacock)
- Day 3 Highlights: 9 a.m. ET (E!)
Sunday (December 6)
- Exhibition Gala: 12 a.m. ET (Peacock)
Historic Showing for U.S. Women
The U.S. Figure Skating team has two women competing at the Grand Prix Final: Amber Glenn and Alysa Liu.
Glenn, the defending Grand Prix Final champion, is chasing history. She aims to become the first U.S. woman to win back-to-back Final titles since Tara Lipinski. However, the competition is fierce. The American duo will have to stack up against the world’s highest-scoring skaters this season, all hailing from host nation Japan: three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto, Ami Nakai, and Mone Chiba.
Ice Dance Veterans Face New Test
In ice dance, the veteran American team of Madison Chock and Evan Bates are eyeing their third consecutive Grand Prix Final title. If they secure gold, it would mark their seventh career medal at the Final, breaking the all-time record for the discipline.
