Welcome to the 2026 CrossFit Games season! This year will mark two decades of finding the Fittest on Earth and the 20th CrossFit Games, a milestone year in CrossFit’s history.
The 2026 season will look similar to last year, with a few exciting additions:
- Quarterfinals are back!
- Age groups and teams will have LIVE Games-qualifying opportunities.
Here’s what you can expect for 2026. Make sure to check back for updates as more information on specific dates, locations, and events is released.
In This Article
Important Dates for 2026
Open Registration: Jan. 14
The CrossFit Open, Presented by Air National Guard: Feb. 26-March 16
- Open Workout 26.1: Feb. 26-March 2
- Open Workout 26.2: March 5-9
- Open Workout 26.3: March 12-16
Individual Quarterfinals: March 26-30
Age-Group Quarterfinals: March 26-30
Semifinals: April- June
Adaptive Semifinals: TBA
Age-Group Online Semifinals: May 7-11
Team Online Semifinals: June 4-8
Individual Online Semifinals: June 11-15
CrossFit Games: July 24-26
Community Cup: TBA
Masters CrossFit Games by Legends: July 21-23
Teenage CrossFit Games by Pit Teen Throwdown: July 24-26
Adaptive CrossFit Games by WheelWOD: July 24-26
Season Structure by Division
Individuals
Stage 1: The CrossFit Open, Presented by Air National Guard | Feb. 26- March 16
The 2026 CrossFit Games season starts with the Open — the first qualifying stage. Any athlete who wants to compete at the CrossFit Games must start with the Open. Anyone, regardless of fitness level, is invited to join the largest participatory sporting event on Earth, where all members of the CrossFit community will have an opportunity to participate in the competition season.
Participants will complete three workouts over the course of three weeks. The workouts are released on the CrossFit Games website on Thursdays, and you have until Monday at 5 p.m. PT to do the workout and submit your score online. At the end of each week, you can see where you stack up by affiliate, age, or worldwide by viewing the CrossFit Games Leaderboard.
The Open brings the CrossFit community together to pursue something that would not hold the same meaning or possibilities if we were just working out on our own. It’s the time of year when we see many people achieve significant firsts: PR snatches, thrusters, muscle-ups, toes-to-bars, handstand push-ups, and double-unders, as a few examples. The Open will provide you with data on your performance in the gym, which can guide you when setting goals for the following year.
If you’re not in it to win it, the Open is a way to check in on your fitness, hold yourself accountable, stay motivated for the upcoming year, accomplish personal goals, and celebrate with your community. Completing all three Open workouts will also award you a level for the Community Cup competition later in the year.
Stage 2: Quarterfinals | March 26-30
Quarterfinals are the second stage of the 2026 CrossFit Games season. The pool of competitors is whittled down, and top athletes from the Open are invited to continue their competition season alongside others from their gym and in the community.
The top 25% of individuals worldwide will advance from the Open to the Quarterfinals in 2026.
Athletes will complete a series of workouts at their affiliates over the course of five days and submit their scores online.
Stage 3: Semifinals
Semifinals are the final qualifying stage for athletes hoping to compete at the CrossFit Games. The top 2,000 men and women from Quarterfinals will advance with opportunities to compete at Semifinals or in the Online Semifinals.
Just like last year, we’re recognizing multiple premier events around the world as Semifinals, which are official Games qualifiers, giving our athletes more places and more time to qualify for the 2026 CrossFit Games. The Online Semifinals will take place after the Semifinals, giving athletes one final chance to qualify.
Click below for more information, including a list of Semifinals, the number of Games-qualifying spots at each event, and dates.
Stage 4: The CrossFit Games | July 24-26
Who is best equipped to excel in the face of any physical test? The greatest athletes in the Sport of Fitness will take on incomparable competition in a bid to become the fittest at the CrossFit Games.
The top 30 men and top 30 women in the world will compete at the 2026 CrossFit Games to crown the Fittest on Earth, taking place from July 24-26 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California.
Affiliate Teams
Stage 1: The CrossFit Open, Presented by Air National Guard | Feb. 26- March 16
Any licensed CrossFit affiliate in good standing with CrossFit may register teams for the CrossFit Games team competition. Teams will consist of at least two individual men and two individual women who validly register for the Open. Affiliates may register as many teams as they wish during the Open.
Athletes who would like to compete as part of a team during the 2026 season will need to be added to their affiliate’s team by the team manager or join their affiliate’s team through their own Competition Dashboard after they have registered for the Open.
Athletes will perform each Open workout individually. All eligible teams will then advance to the Semifinals.
Stage 2: Semifinals
Semifinals are the final qualifying stage for teams hoping to compete at the CrossFit Games. All team athletes who completed the Open are eligible to compete in the Online Semifinals.
New this year, teams competing in the Open will have the opportunity to compete in select Semifinals to earn a ticket to the 2026 CrossFit Games.
Click below for more information, including a list of Semifinals, the number of Games-qualifying spots at each event, and dates.
Stage 3: The CrossFit Games | July 24-26
The top 20 teams in the world will compete at the 2026 CrossFit Games to crown the Fittest Team on Earth, taking place from July 24-26 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California.
Age Groups
Stage 1: The CrossFit Open, Presented by Air National Guard | Feb. 26- March 16
The Age-Group Divisions range from teenagers 14-17 to masters 35-70+. The fittest teenagers and masters prove just how high the bar for physical health over one’s lifetime can go.
Age groups will begin their season with the three-week worldwide Open, alongside individuals and teams.
The age groups include:
- Boys and Girls 14-15
- Boys and Girls 16-17
- Men and Women 35-39
- Men and Women 40-44
- Men and Women 45-49
- Men and Women 50-54
- Men and Women 55-59
- Men and Women 60-64
- Men and Women 65-69
- Men and Women 70+
Stage 2: Quarterfinals | March 26-30
The top 25% of athletes worldwide from each age group will advance from the Open to Quarterfinals.
The Age-Group and Individual Quarterfinals will be held on the same weekend. Any athlete who qualifies for both competitions may compete in both and will only be asked to pay one registration fee. All workouts for individuals and select age groups will be the same.
Athletes who qualify for both competitions will perform one set of programming.
Stage 3: Semifinals
After Quarterfinals, the top 400 age-group athletes in the 35-54 divisions, and top 300 in the 14-17 and 55+ divisions, will advance to the Semifinals stage of competition.
New this year, age-group athletes will also have the opportunity to compete at select Semifinals to earn a ticket to the 2026 Teenage CrossFit Games or the 2026 Masters CrossFit Games.
Click below for more information, including a list of Semifinals, the number of Games-qualifying spots at each event, and dates.
Stage 4: The Teenage CrossFit Games and the Masters CrossFit Games
The top age-group athletes from Semifinals will advance to the Teenage or Masters CrossFit Games by Legends and Pit Teen Throwdown to determine who will be crowned the division champions.
Location: San Jose McEnery Convention Center | San Jose, California
Dates:
- Masters CrossFit Games: July 21-23, 2026
- Teenage CrossFit Games: July 24-26, 2026
| Age Group | Advancing Athletes |
|---|---|
| 14-15 | 20 boys and 20 girls |
| 16-17 | 20 boys and 20 girls |
| 35-39 | 30 men and 30 women |
| 40-44 | 30 men and 30 women |
| 45-49 | 20 men and 20 women |
| 50-54 | 20 men and 20 women |
| 55-59 | 15 men and 15 women |
| 60-64 | 15 men and 15 women |
| 65-69 | 15 men and 15 women |
| 70+ | 10 men and 10 women |
Adaptive
Stage 1: The Adaptive CrossFit Open | Feb. 26- March 16
Adaptive athletes in each division will compete at the Adaptive Open, hosted by WheelWOD.
Although the registration process and competition will be run by WheelWOD, the Adaptive Open will run at the same time as the CrossFit Open, and athletes will share similar workouts. The top athletes from the Open will advance to the Adaptive CrossFit Online Semifinals by WheelWOD.
Divisions:
- Upper Impairment 1 Point of Contact
- Upper Impairment 2 Point of Contact
- Lower Impairment Above Knee
- Lower Impairment Below Knee
- Lower Minor
- Neuromuscular Major
- Neuromuscular Moderate
- Neuromuscular Minor
- Visual Impairment
- Short Stature
- Seated 1 Without Hip Function
- Seated 2 With Hip Function
- Seated 3 Quadriplegic
- Standing Diagnosed
- Intellectual without Chromosomal Condition
- Intellectual with Chromosomal Condition
Stage 2: Semifinals
The top 20 adaptive athletes in each division from the Open will advance to the online WheelWOD Adaptive Semifinals.
Stage 3: The Adaptive CrossFit Games by WheelWOD
The top 10 athletes from each division after the Online Semifinals will move on to the Adaptive CrossFit Games by WheelWOD.
Location: San Jose McEnery Convention Center | San Jose, California
Dates: July 24-26, 2026
More Opportunities to Test Your Fitness
The worldwide CrossFit community will have the opportunity to participate in events throughout the year, regardless of fitness level or ability, starting with the Open.
Also, returning for the second year is the 2026 CrossFit Community Cup, where every athlete who completes and submits scores for all three workouts during the Open can compete in a fun, affiliate-based online competition to gauge where they sit against other athletes of similar abilities.
The 2026 Service Cup will also welcome everyone to compete in a number of service categories or as a service supporter in this online competition, with advancement opportunities to compete in person.
More details on the Open, Community Cup, and Service Cup will be released soon, so stay tuned!