After missing out on a medal at the Winter Olympics, where mistakes in the free skate and struggles on planned quad jumps left him down in 8th place, Ilia Malinin bounced back by winning gold at the 2026 ISU World Figure Skating Championships. After that victory, he revealed, “I kind of want a break from skating for a little bit.” That could’ve ruled out the American star for quite a while. But fans can rest easy now because Malinin has decided to step back on the rink alongside Amber Glenn and Alysa Liu in an upcoming event.

On June 16, the ISU released the 2026-27 Grand Prix assignments. The series will go through six events: Grand Prix de France, Skate Canada International, Cup of China, Skate America, Finlandia Trophy, and NHK Trophy, and conclude with the Grand Prix Final in Chongqing, China, on December 10-13, 2026.

Ilia Malinin was selected for two Grand Prix competitions this season: Skate America in the USA and NHK Trophy in Japan. On paper, it’s a solid return, but the road will be tough.

There, he will be expected to face 2014 Olympic bronze medalist Jason Brown, 2023 U.S. national bronze medalist Andrew Torgashev, 2024 World bronze medalist Adam Siao Him Fa, 2025 European silver medalist Nikolaj Memola, 2023 Four Continents champion Kao Miura, 2026 Olympic bronze medalist Shun Sato, and 2026 Canadian national champion Stephen Gogolev.

The tougher test may come at NHK Trophy in Japan, where he is set to meet Kazuki Tomono, a consistent Japanese national medalist; Sota Yamamoto, the 2026 Four Continents bronze medalist; Junhwan Cha, the 2023 World silver medalist; Lukas Britschgi; Vladimir Samoilov; and Mikhail Shaidorov, the 2026 Olympic champion and 2025 World silver medalist.

So, it will be the best time for Malinin to even the score with the Olympic gold medalist. But even with his Grand Prix assignments confirmed, Malinin has made it clear that his future is not fully set.

In an interview with Olympics.com, he said he is still thinking about taking time away from skating after a demanding few years. “I don’t know, honestly, I don’t want to put that out there,” he said. “I kind of want a break from skating for a little bit. These last four years have been really tough leading up to the Olympics.” He added that any decision would depend on how he feels, saying, “I think it’s better right now to say I will feel it out… I’m taking it one step at a time.”

Interestingly, it’s not just the men’s side that has tough competition.

Alysa Liu’s Grand Prix return sets up tough battles against Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito

After Alysa Liu won Olympic gold in women’s singles and helped the U.S secure team gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics, she has stayed away from competition. She later joined the Stars on Ice tour with Amber Glenn, Isabeau Levito, among others. Now, with the 2026-27 Grand Prix assignments announced, she will return to the competitive arena against her Blade Angels team, which includes Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito.

Alysa Liu will now be skating in Skate America in Everett and the Finlandia Trophy in Helsinki, but both promise no easy routes. Her competition on the big stage in Skate America will consist of a lot of competition from some top talent, such as the Olympic team gold medalist Amber Glenn, plus 2024 World silver medalist Isabeau Levito, four-time ISU Grand Prix medalist Rinka Watanabe, 2025 Four Continents champion Chaeyeon Kim, Madeline Schizas, and the rest of the pack.

Finlandia Trophy is a more challenging field with Mao Shimada, Haein Lee, Niina Petrokina, Rinka Watanabe, Rion Sumiyoshi, and Isabeau Levito to handle. It is one of the more difficult stops on the Grand Prix schedule.

Meanwhile, Amber Glenn has another difficult journey to take. Among her assignments at NHK Trophy are 2026 Olympic silver medalist Kaori Sakamoto, 2026 World silver medalist Mone Chiba, 2024 NHK Trophy bronze medalist Yuna Aoki, three-time South Korean national champion Jia Shin, four-time Canadian national champion Madeline Schizas, and more.

With such stacked fields, the 2026-27 Grand Prix season is set to test every athlete.