HYROX, billed as ‘The World Series of Fitness Racing’, has announced an update to its World Championships Qualification System for 2025-26.
HYROX notes that, as the calibre of athletes continues to increase, qualification for HYROX World Championships next season will be limited to participants in the Pro division.
The World Championships are positioned as the pinnacle of the HYROX season, gathering together the best athletes from all over the world to compete. Currently, athletes participating in Open or Pro divisions can secure a qualifying spot by placing amongst the top in their division and age group.
However, next season – starting at HYROX Singapore on June 28, 2025 – athletes must race in the Pro division to have the chance to qualify.
As HYROX continues to grow – with it reporting ‘over 650,000 athletes racing globally in the 2024-25 season’ – it is rapidly attracting a high calibre of athletes. With this, finish times are consistently improving, leading to the change to the worlds qualification system.
A release from HYROX added that… ‘This update marks an exciting time for the sport of HYROX, as it continues to raise the bar for athletes competing at the highest level. The only age category which will continue to be exempt from racing Pro to qualify and compete at the World Championships is 60+.’
Moritz Fürste, Co-Founder at HYROX, said “HYROX continues to grow; we will have over one million athletes racing globally in 2026 which is incredible.
“Naturally with this, the standard consistently becomes higher – evident from some of the finish times at recent HYROX events – and these updates to the world qualification system reflect this growth.
“While HYROX is still a sport for everybody, this change is simply to manage the huge demand for spots and ensure that the HYROX World Championships continues to bring together the best HYROX athletes in the world.”
Athletes racing in HYROX Bangkok, Rimini, NYC, Cardiff or Riga will have a choice of racing at the HYROX Chicago World Championships 2025, or deferring entry until World Championships 2026, with the location to be announced in Chicago.
Those hoping to qualify for the World Championships who have already booked to race in the Open division for a HYROX event in the 2025-26 season, will be able to change to race in the Pro division free of charge.
Participants of the HYROX Open Championships – competing to become the European, US or Asian-Pacific Champion of their Age Group – will still be able to qualify for the worlds. Qualification slots will be assigned to each age group at the championships, depending on the demand of athletes in the category.
