The 2026 CrossFit Games rulebook, explained

This is the CrossFit Games rulebook for the 2026 season. The 2027 one is not published yet (“coming soon”), so we use this one as a reference and always label it as 2026. A lot changes in 2027: the Open will drop on Wednesdays, not Thursdays, the Quarterfinals will run from 15 to 22 March, teams will go to the Team Qualifiers and the National Championships are added. Here we go through it section by section, with the key rules for each.

The Open is the first stage of the season. In 2026 there was a new workout every week: it dropped on Thursday at 12:00 PT and scores could be submitted until Monday at 17:00 PT. After that no score was accepted and a submitted one couldn’t be edited. In 2027 workouts drop on Wednesdays.

• Registration: US$20 in most countries, with no refunds or transfers. You need a CrossFit account, the same one for all competitions.
• Division: assigned by birth date and sex. Age was calculated as of 14 July 2026. There were 22 individual divisions (individual, 14-15, 16-17 and Masters 35-39 up to 70+) and one team division.
• Region: chosen by residence; it’s only a leaderboard filter.
• Teams: an affiliate registers teams of at least two men and two women; all do the Open workouts at the team’s affiliate, and team registration costs US$20.
• Levels: anyone who submits all three workouts gets one of ten levels by percentile.

There were two ways to validate an Open score in 2026:

• At an affiliate, with a judge. No video needed. The affiliate’s Games manager can reject the score in the 48 hours after the close; if they do nothing, it validates on Wednesday at 17:00 PT.
• With a public YouTube video uploaded by the athlete. CrossFit may review it and accept, modify or invalidate the score.

The video must be original content, with rights to the music, public, and without a fisheye lens. There are four review outcomes: good video, valid with penalty, zero score and invalid (which removes all your scores). You have 24 hours from the email notice to appeal a change. Only the penalised athlete can appeal.

In each workout you are placed among everyone in your division, and your ranking is the sum of your placings: the lowest total wins. Scaled scores rank below Rx, and Foundations below Scaled. If you don’t submit a score it counts as 0 and you rank below everyone who did. Ties are broken by the best placing in a single workout.

At least the top 25% of the Open advanced in the individual division, and 25% of each age group (with a minimum of 200 athletes). There was a US$50 fee, with a single registration and payment even if you competed in both individual and your age group.

• Where and how: at an affiliate, with a registered judge and validation from the affiliate’s Games manager. Scores not validated in time were removed from the leaderboard.
• No scaling. Scores stayed hidden until the end of the competition.
• Rankings reset: everyone started level; scoring was the sum of placings.
• To advance: the top 2,000 individuals and, by age, the top 400 in Masters 35-54 and the top 300 in 14-17 and Masters 55+.
• If someone declined their invitation, CrossFit did not intend to give the spot to the next athlete.

In-person Semifinals are run by third parties licensed by CrossFit, which programme and administer their own competition. They can invite athletes and run qualifying rounds “at their discretion”. In 2026 each sent at least one man and one woman to the Games. If an athlete qualified at several competitions, they kept the invitation from the first and their place at the others passed to the next athlete. Each event gives its own prizes. CrossFit runs drug testing at them.

In 2027 they run between April and June, with a list of events to be confirmed.

They were an additional way to qualify, with a US$100 fee per athlete or team. Requirements were strict:

• Done at an affiliate with a Head Judge (CF-L1 or higher plus the Advanced Judges Course, appearing in the video) and a second floor judge with the same credentials.
• You had to upload a public YouTube video of every workout with the score. An edited or private video could mean a zero.
• Public review: videos were made public and accredited judges could vote “good video”, “needs review” or “unviewable”. With many “needs review” votes, CrossFit reviewed the video and could apply a penalty. If still unviewable by the following Thursday, the score was 0.
• Penalties: a false start cost 10 seconds; no-reps carried a scripted penalty per movement; wrong loading or measurements or judges without credentials could mean a zero.

• Individual field: 30 men and 30 women in 2026 (40 and 40 in 2027).
• Registration: US$500 for individuals and US$700 for teams (US$500 for age groups), after the invitation.
• Medical screening: all individual and team athletes had to submit a medical eligibility form signed by a physician. Without it, the spot could go.
• Declined spots: could pass to the next eligible athlete from the original competition, with a maximum of three athletes outside the qualifying positions. CrossFit didn’t replace anyone who hadn’t officially declined.
• Teams: a roster of four to six; it can change until check-in for the first event.
• At the event: events are announced shortly before they start; the leaderboard adds points by placing and ties are broken by the best placing in an event. An injured athlete or one who misses their heat leaves the competition but keeps their points.
• Drug testing: at minimum, the top five individuals, the top five teams and the top five in each Masters division.

In 2026 the Adaptive season was administered by WheelWOD, which published its own rulebook. There was an online Open running alongside the CrossFit Open on WheelWOD’s platform, an online qualifier and an in-person final, the Adaptive CrossFit Games, after the Games. In 2027 WheelWOD remains in charge (16 divisions); its 2027 rulebook is to be confirmed.

Belts, non-tacky gloves, tape, neoprene sleeves and common fitness wear are allowed as long as they give no advantage. Some limits in the rulebook:

• Shoe sole: no higher than 2 inches (5 cm).
• Belt: non-stretch, up to 5 inches (13 cm) wide.
• Knee and elbow sleeves: a single ply of neoprene up to 7 mm; no wraps.
• Wrist wraps: up to 1 metre long and 8 cm wide.
• Grips: only for hanging movements, no sewn folds or dowels.
• Adhesives: only chalk; no resin, liquids or wax.
• Electronics: watches and heart-rate monitors allowed; no headphones or phones on the floor.

The rulebook includes a practical video guide:

• The camera should capture a three-quarter view of the athlete in all movements, at least 3 feet (90 cm) off the ground, avoiding low angles.
• A clock counting up from zero should be visible throughout.
• No fisheye or effects.
• If the workout includes a floor plan, use the camera position indicated.
• Equipment near structures such as the rig must be at least 5 feet (1.5 m) apart.
• Men use a 45 lb barbell and women a 35 lb one; equivalent to 20 kg and 15 kg.
• Watch your video before submitting.

Appeals go to the Appeals Manager right after the event. Judges make mistakes: the rulebook is clear that most no-reps (squat depth, hip extension, lockout stability) can’t be appealed. You can appeal a counting, loading, course or scoreboard error, equipment failure not the athlete’s fault, or a poorly explained standard.

• Two-appeal rule: if it succeeds you keep it; if not, you lose one.
• Full Event Review: one per competition, for someone who believes an unreasonable standard was applied. Every rep is reviewed on the official video: reps that were good subtract time and those that weren’t add time, so your score can get worse.
• Only CrossFit’s official video counts; no other media is accepted.

• Drug testing: any athlete can be tested, including in the Open. Passing the test is required to advance to the Games or collect prizes.
• Gender classification policy: for the Open and Community Cup you can register in line with your gender identity; to advance beyond the Open you must compete in the division matching your sex assigned at birth. Disorders of sex development are assessed individually.
• Conduct: CrossFit demands honesty, sportsmanship and real effort in every workout (it bans “sandbagging”). Athletes answer for the conduct of their coaches and guests.
• Complaints: any athlete can report unfair practices or rulebook violations to CrossFit.

In 2026 part of each Open registration funded the season’s prize purse. 2027 prize money, and how it is funded, is to be confirmed.