Queensland Open 2026 nears capacity with 269 speedcubers registered

Queensland Open 2026 drew 269 registered speedcubers, including 89 first-timers and 180 returners, pushing the field to about 96.1% of its 280-competitor cap. That split turned the Brisbane meet into more than a crowded entry list: it showed a scene pulling in newcomers while keeping experienced solvers coming back.

The competition ran June 27-28 at Brisbane State High School in South Brisbane, with online registration opening on February 8 and closing on June 19. The base fee was A$38, spectators were free, and no on-the-spot registrations were accepted. The waitlist was handled by order of payment, with new names able to move in only if other competitors withdrew.

The registration sheet also gave the event a distinctly international feel. Competitors were listed from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Nepal, Malaysia, China, Brazil, and other countries, which made the meet look more like a regional championship than a local school hall weekend. Speedcubing Australia and Vicki Otsu were listed as organizers, while the WCA delegate team included Anup Adhikari, Baden Forster, Conan Mo, Connor Sharpe, Hao Do, Kaidyn De Luca-Mazza, Kritika KC, and Tommas Austin-Milne. Live results were handled through WCA Live, keeping solves visible in real time for families, coaches, and the wider cubing crowd.

Brisbane State High School has become a familiar hub for major Queensland cubing events. Queensland Open 2023 and Queensland Open 2024 were also held there, and the 2025 Queensland State Championship used the same venue. That 2025 state meet drew 200 competitors, with Yibo Wang taking the 3x3x3 Cube title on a 7.51-second average, a useful benchmark for how quickly the Brisbane calendar has been scaling.

For Queensland, the headline is not just that the open was big. The more revealing number is the 89 first-timers, sitting alongside 180 returners in a field that nearly maxed out its cap. In a sport that grows solve by solve, that is the sort of registration mix that keeps a competition from being a one-off and turns it into a habit.