CrossFit Confirms 2026 Season Structure, Quarterfinals Set for Late March

The 2026 CrossFit Quarterfinals are underway, running March 26–30, open to the top 25% of performers from each division who made it through the Open. After a one-year disappearance from the competitive calendar, the stage is back and already producing results across affiliates worldwide.

Adrian Bozman joined Chase Ingraham on the Sport of Fitness Podcast on Monday to reveal this year's workouts. There are four of them. The release happened Monday, March 23, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. That's a tighter programming reveal than many athletes were expecting, leaving a narrow window to game-plan before Thursday's start.

The format is stricter than the Open in every meaningful way. Athletes must complete each workout inside a CrossFit affiliate in good standing. Submitting a video from a garage gym isn't an option here. Each athlete also must use a registered judge who has either passed the 2026 Judges Course or holds a current Advanced Judges Course certificate.

Unlike the Open, all scores remain hidden on the public leaderboard until the submission window closes on March 30. Affiliate Managers can view and validate results while scores are hidden, and each score must be validated by the Affiliate Manager before Wednesday, April 1 at 5 p.m. PT. All scores must be submitted by Monday, March 30, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

In the Open, Colten Mertens topped the men's leaderboard for the second year in a row, while Lucy Campbell had her best-ever start to a season and ranked first among the women. Both now face a significantly more demanding test.

The reinstatement of Quarterfinals reshapes who gets a legitimate shot at Semifinals. The top 2,000 men and women from Quarterfinals will have the opportunity to compete at Semifinals or the Online Semifinals. While not called IPQEs, the 2026 in-person Semifinals will be run by outside organizers similar to last year, with the full list of Semifinals, dates, and qualifying spots to be announced at a later date. Semifinals will be hosted in April, May, and June.

One logistical note for athletes competing across multiple divisions: the Age-Group and Individual Quarterfinals are held on the same weekend, any athlete who qualifies for both 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, and athletes who qualify for both competitions will perform one set of programming.

Teams are on a separate track entirely. All teams who completed the Open are eligible to compete in the online Semifinals, similar to last season, but unlike last year, teams will get the opportunity to compete in-person to qualify for the CrossFit Games, with some Semifinals also hosting teams looking to earn a spot.

In the rulebook, CrossFit has said the individual and age-group leaderboards will be finalized by no later than April 10, 2026. That's the date that will determine who moves on to the Semifinals stage and who waits until next year.