The championship was first held in 1964 under CIK-FIA sanctioning, though an earlier unofficial "World Championship" was organised by the Grand Prix Kart Club of America (GPKCA) beginning in December 1959, when American driver Jim Yamane became the first winner at a one-week international meeting in Nassau, Bahamas. The GPKCA series subsequently adopted a multi-round format before the CIK-FIA established the official championship.
The first two CIK-FIA World Championships in 1964 and 1965 were held over a single final round. The format later expanded to include free practice, qualifying practice sessions, qualification heats, a pre-final, and a final. From 2011, the championship was disputed over five rounds held across different countries. From 2014 onward, the competition returned to a single-event format, with separate venues hosting the direct-drive and gearbox championships.
In 2013, the CIK-FIA appointed WSK Promotion as the first official promoter in the championship's history. The RGMMC Group subsequently took over as Official Promoter from 2018 to 2020, expanding media coverage through partnerships including Motorsport.tv. From 2022, the championship carried title sponsorship from the website Mondokart.com.
The FIA Karting World Championship encompasses both direct-drive and gearbox categories. The primary direct-drive class is OK, open to drivers aged 14 and above. OK Junior caters to drivers aged 12 to 14. The primary gearbox class is KZ, which operates with an open chassis and brakes specification distinct from the secondary KZ2 class. Superkart, featuring 250 cc twin-cylinder engines producing approximately 100 horsepower capable of extraordinary performance on full-length circuits, was contested from 1983 to 1995 at the World Championship.
Prior to the current OK regulations introduced in 2016, the championship passed through a succession of technical frameworks: 100 cc Formula A (FA) and its Super sub-class (FSA), the 135 cc Formula K from 1981 to 1987, and the KF categories from 2007 to 2015. The KF series introduced 125 cc engines with electric starters, clutches, and rpm limiters set at 16,000 rpm. A World Cup — historically a separate event held at Suzuka from 1991 to 2000 — has served as a secondary competition within the championship umbrella.
The 1966 edition produced the only female FIA World Champion across all disciplines: Italian driver Susanna Raganelli, making the Karting World Championship unique among FIA World Championships in this regard. Two past Karting World Champions have gone on to win the Formula One World Drivers' Championship: Max Verstappen, who won the KZ class in 2013, and Lando Norris, who won the KF class in 2014.
The championship has historically been dominated by Italian manufacturers and drivers, particularly through the sustained success of chassis brands CRG and OTK. OTK has accumulated 35 World Championships across its Tony Kart, Kosmic, FA Kart, and Exprit brands, while CRG has historically held the record as the most successful individual chassis manufacturer. Drivers such as Davide Forè and Marco Ardigò have claimed multiple World Championship titles.
The FIA Karting World Championship functions as a primary gateway to professional motorsport. An exceptional number of Formula One drivers have contested the championship during their formative years, including Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, and Ayrton Senna. The championship's prestige, its long technical lineage from 100 cc single-speed machinery to modern OK and KZ regulations, and its role in identifying future champions have cemented its status as the definitive proving ground for motorsport talent worldwide.