Fitness
Fitness Training
HYROX World Championships 2026: Your complete guide
In June 2026, the world’s fastest and fittest HYROX athletes will take to the floor with a single goal in mind: to emerge victorious at the World Championships in Sweden.
Part of this story
The road to Stockholm is reaching its final stretch. After a full season of qualification races across the globe, the 2026 HYROX World Championships will bring together the sport’s fastest and most consistent athletes, from Elite 15 contenders chasing a world title to age group competitors who’ve earned their place on the biggest stage in Sweden.
Flashback to the 2025 HYROX World Championships Elite 15 women title fight
© Christian Pondella / Red Bull Content Pool
This guide breaks down exactly what to expect in Stockholm: who’s competing, who the favourites are in the Elite 15 and Elite Doubles, and how athletes qualified to be there in the first place.
Whether you’re following the pro race or preparing to compete yourself, here’s a clear look at how the championship will unfold and what it takes to succeed when it matters most.
01
Where and when are the HYROX World Championships 2026?
The 2026 HYROX World Championships will take place in Sweden, at Stockholm’s 65,000-seat Strawberry Arena from June 18-21, 2026.
Under the lights, the top 0.5 per cent of HYROX athletes will be competing for the title of HYROX World Champion, with athletes including Alexander Rončević, Tim Wenisch and Hidde Weersma on the men's side as well as defending champion Linda Meyer, Joanna Wietrzyk, Jake Dearden and Lucy Procter competing across singles and doubles events.
Previously, the HYROX World Championships have taken place in Manchester (UK), Nice (France) and Chicago (USA).
The 2025 World Championships took place in Chicago, USA
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
02
Who are the top athletes in HYROX 2026?
The battle for the top spot in men’s HYROX has reached a fever pitch following the Warsaw Major in April 2026. While the rankings shift with every Major, a few names currently define the sharp end of this exciting sport.
Alexander Rončević
Alexander Rončević is the HYROX world record holder
© Philipp Carl Riedl/Red Bull Content Pool
Rončević is the undisputed king of the 2025/26 season. At the Warsaw Major in April 2026, the Austrian became the first person in history to go sub-52 minutes, setting a breathtaking world record of 51m 59s. He heads to Sweden as the favourite in the men's field, having displaced long-time rivals Dylan Scott and Tim Wenisch.
Joanna Wietrzyk
Joanna Wietrzyk competes in the Elite 15 in Hong Kong
© Brian Ching See Wing/Red Bull Content Pool
Having produced the most dominant season in female HYROX history, Wietrzyk became the first athlete to ever sweep all four Majors in a single grand slam season in Hamburg, Melbourne, Phoenix and Warsaw, culminating in a massive world record of 54m 25s at the Warsaw Major ahead of the 2026 HYROX World Championships – beating Lauren Weeks by 30s and the previous world record by 90s.
Meet the HYROX Elite 15
The Elite 15 are the 15 fastest men and women in HYROX, each having earned their place in the World Championship final through podium finishes at global Majors, Regional Championship victories or by maintaining the highest 365-day rolling world rankings in the Pro division. Here’s how the table currently stacks up in the Men’s and Women’s divisions:
Elite Men - Singles
- Alexander Rončević
- Dylan Scott
- Hidde Weersma
- Tim Wenisch
- Hunter McIntyre
- Charlie Botterill
- James Kelly
- Rich Ryan
- Sean Noble
- Cole Learn
- Tomas Tvrdik
- Dexter Buchanan
- Sebastian Ifversen
- Louis Osselaer
- Luke Greer
Joanna Wietrzyk has been in dominant form this season
© Brian Ching See Wing/Red Bull Content Pool
Elite Women - Singles
- Joanna Wietrzyk
- Vivian Tafuto
- Lauren Weeks
- Lucy Procter
- Jess Pettrow
- Sinéad Bent
- Linda Meier
- Gabrielle Nikora-Baker
- Lena Putters
- Morgan Schulz
- Seka Arning
- Calypso Sheridan
- Alyssa McElheny
- Emilie Dahmen
- Stefanie Oswald
03
Who are the Elite 15 Doubles partnerships?
Elite Women – Doubles
- Joanna Wietrzyk and Jess Pettrow
- Zara Piergianni and Gabriella Moriarty
- Margot Vandenlindenloof and Charlotte Vandenlindenloof
- Sinéad Bent and Lucy Procter
- Danél Louw and Vicky MacIntosh
- Seka Arning and Manuela García Caparrós
- Lauren Weeks and Vivian Tafuto
- Melanie Maurer and Jennifer Nikolaus
- Katherine Fahsbender and Morgan Schulz
- Alandra Greenlee and Kris Rugloski
- Ida Mathilde Steensgaard and Elli Stenfors
- Meg Martin and Calypso Sheridan
- Charlie Searle and Lauren Stockley
- Jade Skillen and Kat Parnell
- Jana Lebenstedt and Viola Oberländer
It’s now all eyes on Stockholm - and over the last weeks and months, we’re beginning to see who might emerge victorious at the HYROX World Championships. It was in Warsaw, and in the Elite Womens Doubles field, where Lauren Weeks and Vivian Tafuto crossed the line with a red-hot time of 53m 00s (nudging 11 seconds off their win in Phoenix), with Joanna Wietrzyk and Jess Pettrow following shortly behind with 53m 21s. It’s here, alongside England’s Lucy Procter and Sinéad Bent, the battle will be won or lost for current favourites Weeks and Tafuto - can they hold onto their crown? We’ll soon find out.
Known for her success in both Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) and HYROX, Denmark’s 35-year-old Ida Mathilde Steensgaard finished second in the Pro Women's division at HYROX Nice with a scorching time of 1h 01m 29s. This year, expect Steensgaard to go even harder as, during Pro Doubles in Katowice and with her racing partner Elli Stenfors, she helped secure a 54m 45s finish - the 11th fastest time for a HYROX Pro Doubles race.
Elite Doubles athlete Ida Mathilde Steensgaard looks strong on the runs
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
Elite Men - Doubles
- Alexander Rončević and Tim Wenisch
- James Kelly and Jake Dearden
- Hidde Weersma and Thierry Willigenberg
- Charlie Botterill and Ollie Russell
- Pieter Maes and Tom Franssens
- Jeremy McConnell and Fabian Eisenlauer
- Jake Williamson and Hunter McIntyre
- Rich Ryan and Pelayo Menendez Fernandez
- Gustav Cordua and Sebastian Ifversen
- Dylan Scott and Stephen Pelkofer
- Luke Greer and Harry Thompson
- James Newbury and Dene Flude
- Maarten Enthoven and Louis Osselaer
- Martin Lecorgne and Xavier Dufour
- Marko Nicic and Alexis Bernier
It’s no less tense in the Elite Mens Doubles field this season, though the undisputed HYROX heavyweights Alexander Rončević and Tim Wenisch - two world record holders - are teaming up once again. Widely considered to be the current favourites for the 2026 World Championships, this formidable duo will be hoping to claim another victory in Stockholm after a scorching performance in London with a 47m 41s finish. Under the stadium lights, the two elite athletes will look to capitalise on their individual successes in the men’s single field, after Rončević’s recent world record at the Warsaw Major and Wenisch’s dominance in the 2025 World Championships, which saw the athlete win the men’s singles with a time of 53m 53s and, just 48 hours later, claim the first-ever double Elite 15 win. The fundamental question: can lightning strike twice?
Meanwhile, Britain’s Jake Dearden and James Kelly head into the 2026 World Championships as another formidable duo after their historic 49m 31s performance in Phoenix. This partnership merges Dearden’s tactical precision as a Master Trainer with the raw power of APAC Singles Champion Kelly, making them two contenders to the doubles world title in Stockholm.
04
How do athletes qualify for the HYROX World Championships 2026?
To secure a spot at the HYROX World Championships 2026, the standard has been raised to ensure only the most clinical performers reach the showdown in Stockholm. For the majority of the field, qualification is now strictly an affair for those competing in HYROX’s Pro Divison.
Unless competing in the 60+ age groups, the Doubles Mixed division, or at a specific Regional Championship, athletes must test themselves against Pro weights and standards to earn a slot. These places are awarded to the top finishers in each age group at any global HYROX race, with the number of available spots fluctuating based on the total number of participants in that specific wave.
Only the most clinical performers reach the showdown in Stockholm
© Philipp Carl Riedl/Red Bull Content Pool
The 2026 season also introduces an ‘Initial Offers Only’ policy to maintain the exclusivity of the finals. Once the qualification email arrives, athletes have exactly 72 hours to secure their place. If athletes hesitate or decline, the slot will not roll down to the next person in the rankings – it simply disappears. The only exception to this is if a previously registered athlete qualifies again in the same division; in that specific case, the spot is passed to the next athlete.
For those competing in Doubles, partnership is locked in from the moment of qualification, as team substitutions are strictly prohibited. In Stockholm, there are no second chances – athletes either claim their spot immediately or the opportunity evaporates.
Two HYROX world champions will be crowned in June
© Philipp Carl Riedl/Red Bull Content Pool
As for the Elite 15, places are reserved for those who secure a top-three finish at one of the four global Majors this year, it was in Phoenix, Melbourne, Warsaw and Hamburg – or claim a victory at the Regional Championships in the Americas, EMEA or APAC. Any remaining spots on the starting grid are filled using the 365-day rolling world rankings, ensuring that only the fifteen fastest athletes on the planet are ready and raring at the start line.
05
How a HYROX race works
While the 2026 World Championships in Stockholm represent the sport's sharpest edge, the HYROX format remains a standardised global benchmark for millions of athletes across the globe. For HYROX Singles, the challenge is deceptively straightforward: eight 1km runs, each separated by a functional workout station designed to test specific pillars of strength and endurance.
All of HYROX's exercise stations are recognisable to fitness fans
© Tyrone Bradley/Red Bull Content Pool
Within HYROX Doubles, it’s a two-person team race where partners complete 8km of running (8 x 1km) and 8 functional workout stations together. During the race, partners must run together, but they can share the workload at stations and split the effort however they choose. Only one partner works at a time, allowing for strategic, alternating efforts – whether that’s working to each others' strengths, or splitting 50/50 during each station.
As the course is identical in each race across the world, whether in London or Stockholm, athletes can compare their performance across the global leaderboard, though the relentless transition from station to run ensures there is zero downtime for recovery. Success in Sweden, or at any local event, hinges on mastering the following eight functional movements under high-intensity fatigue:
- 1km SkiErg
- 50m sled push
- 50m sled pull
- 80m burpee broad jumps
- 1km rowing
- 200m farmers carry
- 100m sandbag lunges
- 100 wall balls
Jakob Pickl-Herk performs a sandbag lunge in Vienna
© Philipp Carl Riedl/Red Bull Content Pool
06
How to watch the HYROX World Championships?
Only the top 0.5 per cent of global competitors have secured the chance to race for a world title in Sweden, making this the most exclusive and high-stakes start line in the sport’s history. Fans can secure spectator tickets through the official HYROX ticket site to witness the world’s elite do battle.
For those unable to reach the arena and further afield, the HYROX World Championships 2026 will be livestreamed via HYROX’s official YouTube channel, bringing every world-record attempt and podium battle to a global audience in real time. Don’t forget to hit that subscribe button.
07
Other athletes to watch
Lucy Procter
The 22-year-old athlete is the breakout star of the season. After transitioning from Age Group champion to the Elite 15, she has proven her engine is world-class with a podium finish in Melbourne. Procter represents the new generation of HYROX-native athletes who haven't come from other sports but have built their entire athletic identity around the eight stations.
Lucy Procter is one to watch in Stockholm this June
© Jake Turney/Red Bull Content Pool
Hidde Weersma
After a successful race in London, 24-year-old Weersma previously held the world record and is arguably the most captivating storyline in the men's field – the Dutchman became the first man to finish HYROX in under 53 minutes, only to be beaten six weeks later by Rončević, who came to reclaim his crown in Warsaw. Weersma's background in high-level field hockey gives him a unique lateral power that most pure runners lack – watch him make up vital seconds on the sled pull and farmers' carry.
Ida Mathilde Steensgaard
Ida Mathilde Steensgaard is a true crossover star – a Danish athlete who built her reputation in Obstacle Course Racing before turning her attention to the world of fitness racing. A multiple OCR world champion and European medallist, she brings elite-level endurance and technical efficiency to her HYROX performances, where she has quickly established herself as a contender within the Elite 15 field. HYROX results already include podium finishes in major Pro events and consistent top-tier placings, underlining her rapid progression in the sport.
Lauren Weeks
Never bet against a three-time world champ. Despite Wietrzyk’s current run of form, Weeks is a tactical master who thrives in the high-pressure environment of a World Championship final. As a multi-time champion, her ability to maintain metronomic pacing under the lights of a stadium final makes her the only athlete truly capable of reeling Wietrzyk back in.
Lauren Weeks is capable of reeling in Wietrzyk in Sweden
© Brian Ching See Wing/Red Bull Content Pool
Dylan Scott
While Rončević holds the record, Scott is the most consistent threat to the crown. His performance in Warsaw (52m 40s) would have been a world record on any other day. He possesses the raw running speed to punish anyone who fumbles a single transition in the Strawberry Arena.
08
HYROX World Championships prize purse
The official prize purse for the HYROX World Championships is yet to be announced. In 2025, however, confirmed winnings for the Elite 15 field were $30,000 USD for 1st place, $20,000 USD for 2nd place, $12,000 USD for 3rd, $7,000 USD for 4th and $6,000 USD for 5th across the Elite 15 singles fields.
As for the Pro Doubles, the prize purse included $12,000 USD for first place, $10,000 USD for 2nd place, $5,000 USD for 3rd, $3,000 USD for 4th and $1,000 USD for 5th.
09
HYROX World Championships racing schedule
Athletes face a busy few days in Sweden
© Philipp Carl Riedl/Red Bull Content Pool
For those attending the HYROX World Championships in Sweden, a four-day event awaits, celebrating some of the fittest and most formidable athletes on the planet. It all starts on Thursday June 18, when athletes will take part in a walk of nations before the World Championships Opening Ceremony.
Want to catch the world’s best in their element? Witness the pinnacle of solo performance with the Elite 15 Women taking to the floor at 19:00 (all times CEST) on Thursday, followed immediately by the Elite 15 Men at 20:30. For those tracking the individual Age Group Pro Women, the action runs from 07:30 to 11:35 on Friday, while the Pro Men follow from 11:55 to 16:05.
This white-hot intensity is maintained as the weekend moves into the team formats; Friday night features the Elite 15 Pro Doubles Women at 20:15 and the Men at 21:30. If you are there to support the Pro Doubles Men, be ready for an early 07:30 start on Saturday morning, with the Pro Doubles Women taking over from 12:25 to 17:00. The weekend concludes on Sunday with the Mixed Doubles starting at 07:30, the Adaptive Invitationals at 14:40 (Women) and 16:30 (Men), and the final, heart-stopping Mixed Relay Invitational at 19:45.
More inspiration for your HYROX journey
10
What’s on at the HYROX World Championships 2026
The Fan Village
The area around Strawberry Arena will be transformed into a Midsummer x HYROX Fest – a free, public Fan Village running all day from Wednesday 17th through to Sunday, with live stage programming, partner activations and food and drink throughout. There’s no spectator ticket required here, so be sure to make the most of the 19 hours of daylight in Stockholm during race week.
The House of HYROX
A few steps from the arena, The Winery Hotel becomes the House of HYROX for the duration of the championships – hosting the Beats & Run Club, exclusive athlete meet and greets and more, with free access for all competing athletes across the weekend. Full programming details are yet to be announced, so keep an eye on HYROX's official channels for updates closer to the event.
Part of this story
