At the end of each season, HYROX hold their own World Championships. This sees the best of the best, in each division from around the world, go up against each other.
At each HYROX event, there are a number of qualifying spaces up for grabs for the best performers in each division and age group. The number of spaces available is largely dependent upon the number of participants at the event.
After each HYROX event, qualifying participants will be sent an email offering them the opportunity to claim their place. Each qualifier needs to make his/her decision within 48 hours of receiving the invitational email. If qualifiers dont accept their places, the spot rolls down and is offered to the next fastest athlete. This means it’s possible to qualify outside of the automatic qualifying spots.
2025/26 Age Group Qualifying
HYROX has announced that from the 2026 World Championships onwards, qualifying will be from the PRO division races only.
There are 2 exceptions – over 60’s and the Regional Open Championships…
- Regional Championships (European, US & Asia-Pacific) – Since these events do not include Pro Divisions, qualifying slots will still be available in the Open Division.
- 60+ Age Categories – Athletes in these categories will continue to qualify through the Open Division, as they race with Open Weights at the World Championships.
As some background, the sport debuted in Germany in 2017, with the first race hosting 700 athletes. This grew steadily to approximately 175,000 athletes in the 2023/24 season, and over 500,000 in 2024/25. This rate of growth is expected to continue into 2025/26, with multi day events now now being held all over the world.
Despite the growth of the sport, there were still only circa. 5,000 places available at the 2025 World Championship. With approximately 550,000 athletes competing during that season, this meant that 1% of competitors qualified for the World Championships. This percentage is expected to drop further as the sport continues to grow.
Qualifying Allocation
Ultimately there are a certain number of spots which HYROX are aiming to fill by age group / division at the World Championships (based on typical participation levels).
However the actual number of qualifying spaces in each Age Group / Division for a specific event cannot typically be known with absolute certainty until the week of the event, once the organisers are aware of the total number of athletes signed up to the race.
Rolldowns
If an athlete is offered a place at the World Championships, but does not accept that place within the allocated time limit, it will be offered to the next placed person in the relevant Age Group / Division. If that person also does not accept, the place will roll down one more time only. Therefore there are only 2 rounds of rolldowns for each Age Group / Division.
In instances where there are only 2 athletes in an Age Group / Pro Division at an event, it is possible that the space would roll down to an athlete in the Open Division.
If you are fast enough to be part of the few who qualify, be sure to read our 8 tips for World Championship Athletes here.
The 2026 HYROX World Championships will be held in Stockholm.
Elite 15 Races
There is a separate category at the World Championships for “Elite” competitors (Singles and Doubles). The 15 places in this category are by invitation only and are awarded as follows:
- 1st, 2nd and 3rd at each 2025/26 Major race qualify for the World Championships. This rolls down if the athlete has already qualified, so that there are always 3 qualifiers from each Major.
- 1st place at each Regional Championship qualifies for the World Championships. This rolls down if the athlete has already qualified, so that there is always 1 qualifiers from each Regional Championship.
There are more details on the Elite 15 series in this article, including details on how to qualify for the Major Races and Regional Championships.
Previous World Championships have taken place as follows:
2025 HYROX World Championships – Chicago, USA
2024 HYROX World Championships – Nice, France
2023 HYROX World Championships – Manchester, UK
2022 HYROX World Championships – Las Vegas, USA
2021 HYROX World Championships – Leipzig, Germany
2019 HYROX World Championships – Oberhausen, Germany
Final Thoughts
If you’re serious about qualifying for the 2026 HYROX World Championships, now is the time to start preparing. With more athletes pushing the limits of performance, the road to the World Championships is more competitive than ever. If you’d like help in doing that, then check out our coaching plans, or 12-week training plan.
