The 2026 CrossFit Open Begins Today: A Look at Registration
Today marks the start of the 2026 CrossFit Open, the 16th edition of the worldwide event since its inception in 2011.
Later today, the first of three workouts will be announced from Moffett Federal Airfield in Santa Clara County, CA. Immediately afterward, Jayson Hopper, Dallin Pepper, Austin Hatfield, and Colten Mertens will be the first to take it on live.
- Four weeks ago, we analyzed the Open registration numbers using Mike Halpin’s data from Known & Knowable. We compared 2026 numbers with those from previous years and made some predictions about overall participation.
He’s continued to track leading up to today, and while registration remains open until the very end of the Open on March 16, let’s take a look at what we’re seeing so far.
Current Registration
As of midday on Wednesday, 175,036 people were registered, which is 23.4% higher (33,200 registrants) than one day before 25.1 last year. However, it was still 58,964 behind 2025’s total.
- As a reminder, from 2011 through 2018, the number of registrants climbed steadily from 26,000 to 416,000.
Numbers dipped by 14% in 2019 and then by 33% in the 2020 Open, but by 2021, registration had rebounded to roughly 263,000, a 10% increase from 2020. Participation continued to climb until 2024, when roughly 344,000 athletes took part.
- The 2025 Open registration was the lowest in 10 years; it was also the second time in the Open’s history that such a drastic decrease occurred. Registration totaled approximately 234,000.
From 2011-2018, over 50% of registrants were new to the Open.
Of all the 2026 participants, however, only 30% are CrossFit Open newbies. That’s a slightly higher percentage than last year (27.9%), but lower than in 2021-2024, when it was over 30% annually.
At the time of publishing, 215 people had registered for every Open since the first one in 2011.
Impending Surge
Over the years, we’ve often seen a large surge in registrations just days before the Open kicks off.
- For instance, in 2022, according to Halpin, registration reached 138,214 people nine days before the Open began. By the time the Open ended and registration closed, the final numbers were 276,427.
In 2023, that 50% surge was nine days out as well. In 2024, it was eight days out, and in 202,5 it was three days out.
This is a pattern that has come to be anticipated each year and could be one reason the first workout of the Open is often very approachable for most athletes – many people who are on the fence about signing up wait to see what type of workout they’re agreeing to take on by registering. (In the last two years, athletes have needed only a dumbbell to complete the workout.)
What About the Prize Purse?
Once again, the Games prize purse depends directly on Open registration. We used the Fran Lung calculator to project what things would look like.
- With 175,036 people registered, the total prize purse would be $857,676.40, with first place taking home $214,419.10, second place $42,883.82, and third place $34,307.06.
One Last Thing
Keep in mind that it’s not over ‘til it’s over, meaning registration remains open until the final day of the three-week competition, March 16.
Once this story is published, there will inevitably be more sign-ups, so we will not have a final number until the very end.
