Quarterfinals Are Back: CrossFit Announces 2026 Season Details
On Wednesday, September 17, CrossFit LLC revealed key dates and details for the 2026 CrossFit Games season, a milestone year as it marks the 20th anniversary of the CrossFit Games.
Arguably, the most notable part of the announcement was that the Quarterfinals are returning (by popular demand).
Remind Me
CrossFit introduced Quarterfinals in 2021 as the immediate post-Open stage of the season. For rank-and-file athletes, qualifying for Quarterfinals was a goal. For the elites, this stage acted as an online qualifier for the Semifinals.
- Quarterfinals took place each year from 2021 to 2024 but were discontinued for 2025. Instead, athletes moved directly from the worldwide CrossFit Open to the In-Affiliate Semifinals.
As was the case in the 2024 season, the top 25% of athletes in the Open will advance to the Quarterfinals in 2026.
- Worth noting: From 2021 to 2023, only the top 10% of athletes in their region in the Open (individual, team, and age-group) advanced to Quarterfinals.
Why this matters: Some community members believe that removing Quarterfinals in 2025 caused a drop in interest in the CrossFit Games last August; therefore, bringing them back in 2026 is a positive move for the sport.
Three More Key Takeaways
First, age-group athletes and teams will now have live opportunities to qualify for the CrossFit Games. Last season, both age-group athletes and teams qualified through an online process.
Second, 2,000 men and women will advance to Semifinals, the final qualifying stage before the Games.
- Similar to last season, CrossFit will partner with event organizers worldwide for in-person Semifinals before hosting a final online Semifinal at the end. Additional details, including a list of Semifinals, event dates, and the number of qualifying spots at each, are still to come.
Finally, while the exact dates are still to be announced, this year’s CrossFit Games are scheduled for July instead of August, as has been the case for the last four seasons.
2026 CrossFit Games Season Dates
Here’s what the announcement revealed in terms of the 2026 season dates:
- Open Registration: TBD
- CrossFit Open: 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
- Community Cup: TBA
- Masters CrossFit Games by Legends: TBA
- Teenage CrossFit Games by Pit Teen Throwdown: TBA
- Adaptive CrossFit Games by WheelWOD: TBA
One Big Thing
This year’s announcement of specific details and dates comes much earlier than in recent years.
- Last year, a similar announcement was made at the end of November, while in 2024, it was made at the beginning of November.
The Big Picture
There is still a lot we don’t know. However, as we approach the 20th CrossFit Games season, the return of Quarterfinals, live qualifying events for age-group athletes and teams, and the early announcement all indicate that CrossFit is listening to the community’s feedback and actively making efforts to engage athletes and fans alike.
Featured image: CrossFit Games
