CrossFit Starts the Hype Early: 2026 Open Announcement Locations Revealed
The 2026 CrossFit Games Open is still over four months away, but some details have already been announced.
In case you missed it: Three weeks ago, CrossFit announced via an Instagram video that 26.3, the final workout of next year’s Open, will be revealed live in Miami during Wodapalooza on March 12.
- Then, on October 10, CrossFit released a second video where Dave Castro and James Sprague revealed that 26.2 would be announced at the Moffett Air National Guard Base in Sunnyvale, CA.
Most recently, on October 15, we found out that the 26.1 live announcement will be held somewhere in Europe.
Why this matters: While we still have no idea about the 2026 Open workouts, the fact that CrossFit is dropping hints this early is notable, as it marks a significant change from the past.
- In 2018, for example, CrossFit didn’t reveal Open announcement locations until the end of January.
Remind me: Live Open announcements have become a popular tradition in the CrossFit community, serving to unite members and generate excitement and anticipation.
In the early years – 2011 and 2012 – the announcements were pre-recorded, but starting in 2013, Dave Castro began making Open announcements live each week, bringing the drama we came to expect.
- Castro continued making the Open announcements through to 2018, but in 2019, he said he was “kind of forced out of doing announcements.”
Castro sat out two seasons of Open announcements before returning for one more in 2021. The following season, he announced he was “ready to be done,” but this time he was going out on his own terms.
Since then, the torch has been passed to various people in the community, including Competition Director Adrian Bozman, Rich Froning, Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent, and different affiliate owners, among others.
- That being said, Castro has made some special appearances here and there during live announcements, such as during 24.1 and 25.2.
As for who will announce this year’s Open workouts, we still don’t know, although Castro hinted on The Sevan Podcast that he might like to do one this season.
The big picture: Why CrossFit is releasing some 2026 Open details this early is anyone’s guess, but it’s worth noting that last season, Open registration was the lowest it had been since 2014, with only 233,815 registrants, down 32 percent from the year before.
In this way, CrossFit’s early announcement of Open locations might be a strategic move to boost community engagement after last season’s decline, generating excitement and visibility well before February.
Featured image: The CrossFit Games
