Breaking down the 2025 CrossFit Competition Rulebook

As the CrossFit Games format continues to evolve, understanding the rules and regulations continues to be essential for athletes who participate at all levels. Here’s your cheat sheet for understanding the rules set by HQ for the 2025 season:

Key changes for 2025

1. Gender Classification Policy:
   • In 2025, CrossFit has updated its gender classification policy, requiring athletes to compete in the division corresponding to their sex assigned at birth. This policy applies universally, with no exceptions for legal or medical documentation. Competitors can confidentially challenge an athlete's gender classification by contacting CrossFit support.
2. Introduction of the Community Cup:
   • A new competition, the Community Cup, has been introduced. All athletes who complete the Open and submit scores for all workouts will be eligible to participate in this affiliate-based event, allowing athletes to compete against peers based on their performance levels from the Open.
3. Affiliate Prizes:
   • Starting this year, a portion of all Open registrations will go toward affiliate prizes. Winners will be awarded US$2,500 Rogue gift cards. Prizes will be awarded in two categories: Participation (affiliates with the most registered athletes by region) and Performance (top-performing affiliate teams by region).
4. Athlete Payouts:
   • Athlete payouts across multiple stages and divisions will increase with the number of Open registrations. This includes top individual Open performers, top individual in-affiliate Semifinal performers, top Affiliate Cup Games performers, top individual Games performers, top Masters Games performers, and top Adaptive Games performers.
5. Team Competition Structure:
   • The top 20 teams from the Semifinals will advance to the Affiliate Cup at the CrossFit Games. Notably, no more than one team from a single affiliate can qualify for the Games.
6. In-Affiliate Semifinals:
   • Semifinals for individuals and teams will be conducted within affiliates, requiring enhanced judging protocols. Team athletes can also qualify and compete in individual in-affiliate Semifinals and in-person qualifying events.

Continuing from 2024:

• Three-Stage Season Structure:
  • The season continues with the structure of Open → Semifinals → Games, providing a clear path for athletes across all divisions.
• Age-Group and Adaptive Divisions:
  • Age-group and adaptive divisions remain integral parts of the competition, with specific stages leading to their respective finals.
• Open Participation:
  • The Open remains the inclusive first stage, encouraging global participation across various divisions.

New Additions for 2025:

• Pairs Championship:
  • A new Pairs Championship has been introduced, allowing top pairs from the Open to qualify for an in-person competition hosted later in the year.
• Enhanced Judging Requirements:
  • Athletes aiming for Semifinal qualification are encouraged to use registered judges for each workout, ensuring adherence to standards.

The Open

The Open is the first stage of the CrossFit Games. It is a three-week online competition where athletes from around the world can compete to qualify for the next stages of the competition. The Open consists of three workouts released one week at a time. The athletes must complete these workouts and submit their scores online before the deadline.

For more information about The Open, look at our previous blog post, which covers all the details.

The 2024 Open saw the introduction of a revamped scoring system designed to be easier to use and more self-explanatory. The equipment requirements at the Open level were also aimed at ease of access, such as using dumbbells, which are typically found in every gym. And the floor plan for The Open was eliminated, aside from maintaining minimum distances between active competitors this made The Open 2024 much easier for gym owners to host.

In the 2025 CrossFit Games Rulebook, the process for determining an athlete's competitive region has been updated. Unlike in 2023, where athletes registered their competitive region based on their country of citizenship, the 2025 Rulebook specifies that an athlete's region is now determined by their country of residence. This means athletes will compete in the region where they live, regardless of their citizenship. The competitive regions for 2025 remain the same:

• North America East 
• North America West 
• Europe 
• Oceania 
• Asia 
• South America 
• Africa
  

In the 2025 CrossFit Games Rulebook, the process for determining an athlete's competitive region has been updated. Unlike in previous years, an athlete's region is now determined by their country of residence at the close of the first Open score submission window, not by citizenship. Once assigned, athletes will remain in this region throughout the competition season.

The 2025 Rulebook does not mention exceptions for athletes with dual or multiple citizenship; therefore, all athletes must compete in the region corresponding to their country of residence, regardless of their citizenship status. Additionally, athletes holding permanent residency in a country different from where they hold citizenship will compete in the region of their residence.

For more detailed information, please refer to Section 1.08 of the 2025 CrossFit Games Rulebook.

Divisions

There are several different competitive divisions based on the birthdate and gender selected by the athlete during registration. The individual and team divisions go on to compete at the CrossFit Games in Albany, New York.

The divisions are as follows:

INDIVIDUALS:

• Men and Women

AGE-GROUP:

The 2025 CrossFit Games have introduced a new age-group division and updated the age ranges for existing divisions. The divisions for this year are as follows:

• Teenage Divisions:
  • Boys and Girls 14-15
  • Boys and Girls 16-17
• Masters Divisions:
  • Men and Women 35-39
  • Men and Women 40-44
  • Men and Women 45-49
  • Men and Women 50-54
  • Men and Women 55-59
  • Men and Women 60-64
  • Men and Women 65-69
  • Men and Women 70+ (New in 2025)
    
    The addition of the 70+ division is a notable change for this season. Previously, the highest age bracket was 65+, but with the introduction of the 70+ division, the 65+ category has been adjusted to 65-69. This change reflects CrossFit's commitment to inclusivity and recognition of athleticism across all age groups.

ADAPTIVE:

The 2025 CrossFit Games have updated the adaptive divisions to enhance inclusivity and provide a more comprehensive competition structure. The divisions for this year are as follows:

• Upper Extremity Impairment:
• Men and Women Upper Impairment 1 Point of Contact
• Men and Women Upper Impairment 2 Points of Contact
• Lower Extremity Impairment:
• Men and Women Lower Impairment Above Knee
• Men and Women Lower Impairment Below Knee
• Men and Women Lower Impairment Minor
• Seated Athletes:
• Men and Women Seated Without Hip Function
• Men and Women Seated With Hip Function
• Men and Women Seated Quadriplegic
• Neuromuscular Impairment:
• Men and Women Neuromuscular Major
• Men and Women Neuromuscular Moderate
• Men and Women Neuromuscular Minor
• Standing Athletes:
• Men and Women Standing Diagnosed
• Visual Impairment:
• Men and Women Visual Impairment
• Short Stature:
• Men and Women Short Stature
• Intellectual Impairment:
• Men and Women Intellectual without Chromosomal Condition (New in 2025)
• Men and Women Intellectual with Chromosomal Condition (New in 2025)

The addition of the Intellectual divisions reflects CrossFit's commitment to inclusivity, allowing athletes with various intellectual impairments to compete in categories tailored to their abilities. These divisions are designed to ensure fair and competitive participation for all athletes.

TEAM:

• Team

PRIZE STRUCTURE

The prize structure for the 2025 CrossFit Open has undergone significant changes. Unlike previous years, the prize purse for the 2025 season is directly tied to Open registration numbers. Specifically, 50% of each $20 Open registration fee is allocated to the overall prize pool. This means the total prize money will fluctuate based on the total number of participants.

As a result, the exact prize amounts for top finishers in the Open will vary and are not fixed at the amounts previously listed. The final prize distribution will depend on the total number of Open registrations. For instance, with a certain number of registrants, the first-place prize could be higher than in previous years.

The path to the Games

The 2025 CrossFit Games season has introduced several updates to the competition structure and progression criteria. Here's the revised information:

The Leaderboard

The CrossFit Games leaderboard is an online platform where athletes submit their scores and track their progress throughout the competition. It is updated in real-time, allowing athletes to see how they rank compared to others in their division.

Advancement to Semifinals

After the Open, the top athletes will advance directly to the Semifinals, as the Quarterfinals stage has been removed for the 2025 season. The qualification criteria are as follows:

• Individual Divisions: The top 1% of athletes worldwide in the Individual men's and women's divisions will qualify for the Semifinals.
• Age-Group Divisions: The top 2% of athletes in each division will advance to the Age-Group Semifinals.

Scaled and Foundations Divisions

Athletes who are unable to perform an Open workout as prescribed (Rx) have the option to complete the scaled or foundation versions of the workout. It's important to note:

• A scaled workout score will be ranked below all Rx scores for that workout.
• A foundation's workout score will be ranked below all scaled scores for that workout.

There are no stages of competition beyond the Open for athletes who exclusively participate in the scaled or foundations divisions.

Score Submission

Athletes must submit their scores for each workout within the designated submission window. Failure to submit a score will result in a zero for that workout, and the athlete will be ranked below all who have submitted scores.

Judging

For scores to be official on the leaderboard, the workout must be judged by an athlete who has passed the official Judges course and validated by an affiliate manager. Otherwise, workouts must be filmed and submitted to CrossFit HQ for online judging and validation.

Judges are responsible for enforcing movement and test standards and confirming the athlete’s score. Athletes will be asked to submit their judge’s name on the score submission page.

5 p.m. PT must submit scores on the Monday following the workout announcement. Any score submission received after the deadline will not be accepted.

Affiliate managers have until Wednesday at 5 p.m. PT. to validate the submitted scores, otherwise it will be removed from the leaderboard. 

Where are the Masters CrossFit Athletes competing in 2025?

Competition Structure for Masters Athletes (Ages 35 and Above):
The Open (Feb. 27 – Mar. 17, 2025):
All Masters athletes begin their journey by participating in the Open.
In-Affiliate Semifinals (April 3-6, 2025):
The top 2% of Open finishers (or a minimum of 200 athletes) from each age-group division will be invited to compete in the In-Affiliate Semifinals.
Masters CrossFit Games by Legends (Aug. 21-24, 2025):
Successful athletes from the Semifinals will advance to the Masters CrossFit Games, hosted by Legends.
Location: Columbus, Ohio.
Divisions and Qualifiers:
Masters 35-39: Top 30 men and 30 women.
Masters 40-44: Top 30 men and 30 women.
Masters 45-49: Top 30 men and 30 women.
Masters 50-54: Top 30 men and 30 women.
Masters 55-59: Top 30 men and 30 women.
Masters 60-64: Top 20 men and 20 women.
Masters 65-69: Top 20 men and 20 women.
Masters 70+ (New in 2025): Top 10 men and 10 women.

Where are Teenage CrossFit Athletes competing in 2025?

Competition Pathway for Teenage Athletes:
The Open (Feb. 27 – Mar. 17, 2025):
All teenage athletes begin by participating in the Open.
In-Affiliate Semifinals (April 3-6, 2025):
The top 2% of athletes from each teenage division in the Open will advance to the In-Affiliate Semifinals.
Teenage CrossFit Games (Aug. 21-24, 2025):
Successful athletes from the Semifinals will qualify for the Teenage CrossFit Games.
Location: Columbus, Ohio.
Divisions and Qualifiers:
Boys 14-15: Top 30 athletes.
Girls 14-15: Top 30 athletes.
Boys 16-17: Top 30 athletes.
Girls 16-17: Top 30 athletes.

Where are Adaptive CrossFit Athletes competing in 2025?

Competition Pathway for Adaptive Athletes:
Adaptive CrossFit Open by WheelWOD (Feb. 27 – Mar. 17, 2025):
All adaptive athletes begin their journey by participating in the Adaptive CrossFit Open, hosted by WheelWOD.
Semifinals (May 8-11, 2025):
The top 20 athletes from each adaptive division in the Open will advance to the Semifinals.
Adaptive CrossFit Games by WheelWOD (Sept. 11-14, 2025):
The top 10 athletes from each division after the Semifinals will qualify for the Adaptive CrossFit Games hosted by WheelWOD.
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada.

Teams Division

The structure of the Team Division for the 2025 CrossFit Games has undergone significant changes. Here's the updated information:

Team Composition and Eligibility:

• Affiliate Representation: Teams must represent a licensed CrossFit affiliate in good standing.
• Team Members: Each team consists of two men and two women.
• Open Participation: All team members must register for the Open and submit scores for all workouts.
• Workout Location: Open workouts must be performed at the team's affiliate location.

Advancement to Semifinals and the Affiliate Cup:

• Semifinals: All teams that meet the Open participation requirements are eligible to compete in the Team Semifinals.
• Affiliate Cup Qualification: The top 20 teams from the Semifinals will advance to the Affiliate Cup at the CrossFit Games. Notably, no more than one team per affiliate can qualify for the Games.

Judging Requirements: During the Semifinals, affiliates must have a head judge overseeing the competition. This head judge must hold an active CrossFit Level 1 credential, complete the 2025 Judges Course, complete the Advanced Judges Course, and be on-site during each workout.

Team Registration Fee: The registration fee for teams in the Open is set at $1.

Team Roster & Eligibility Changes

• Teams must finalize their four-member roster (two men, two women) at the start of the Semifinals.
• Once the Semifinals begin, no changes can be made to the team roster.
• Athletes can compete in individual and team Semifinals, but they must choose one path if they qualify for the CrossFit Games.

Quarterfinals are no more!

The 2025 CrossFit Games season has removed the Quarterfinals stage and introduced a new competition format.

Major Changes from Previous Years
Increased emphasis on video proof and judging
No Quarterfinals – athletes move straight from the Open to the Semifinals
New affiliate-based Semifinals for teams and age groups
More athletes qualify directly for the Semifinals

What Replaces the Quarterfinals? Semifinals!

1. The Quarterfinals stage has been eliminated for the 2025 season.
2. Instead, the Semifinals now serve as the second competition stage after the Open
3. Competition Format:
   • Individual, team and age-group Semifinals will be conducted inside CrossFit affiliates rather than through an online Quarterfinal stage.
   • Adaptive Semifinals will continue to be online.
4. Video Submissions & Judging Requirements:
   • Athletes competing in the Semifinals must submit video proof of their workouts.
   • Teams must perform workouts at their affiliate, and a designated head judge must be present.

For more information about Quarterfinals, check out our page here.

Qualification and Advancement

• Individual Athletes:
  • Advancement from the Open: The top 1% of individual athletes worldwide in the Open qualify for the In-Affiliate Semifinals.
  • In-Affiliate Semifinals: Athletes compete within their affiliates, submitting scores online.
  • In-Person Qualifying Events (IPQEs): Athletes also have the opportunity to qualify for the Games through select IPQEs held between April and June:
    
  • April 5-6, 2025 – Mayhem Classic, Cookeville, Tennessee, USA
    Region: North America East Qualifying Spots: 2 men / 2 women
  • April 18-20, 2025 – Copa Sur, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
    Region: South America Qualifying Spots: 2 men / 2 women
  • April 25-27, 2025 – Wodland Fest, Málaga, Spain
    Region: Europe Qualifying Spots: 2 men / 2 women
  • May 9-11, 2025 – French Throwdown, Montpellier, France
    Region: Europe Qualifying Spots: 2 men / 2 women
  • May 16-18, 2025 – The Fittest Experience, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
    Region: North America West Qualifying Spots: 2 men / 2 women
  • May 29-June 1, 2025 – Rebel Renegade Games, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa
    Region: Africa Qualifying Spots: 1 man / 1 woman
  • May 30-June 1, 2025 – Far East Throwdown, Busan, Republic of Korea
    Region: Asia Qualifying Spots: 1 man / 1 woman
  • May 30-June 1, 2025 – Syndicate Crown, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
    Region: North America East Qualifying Spots: 2 men / 2 women
  • May 30-June 1, 2025 – Torian Pro, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
    Region: Oceania Qualifying Spots: 2 men / 2 women
  • June 6-8, 2025 – NorCal Classic, Sacramento, California, USA
    Region: North America West Qualifying Spots: 2 men / 2 women
• Teams:
  • Advancement from the Open: Teams that meet the participation requirements in the Open advance to the In-Affiliate Semifinals.
  • In-Affiliate Semifinals: Teams compete within their affiliates, with the top 20 teams worldwide advancing to the CrossFit Games.
• Age-Group Athletes (Masters and Teenagers):
  • Advancement from the Open: The top 2% of athletes in each age-group division advance to the Age-Group Semifinals.
  • Age-Group Semifinals: Conducted online, with top performers advancing to the Age-Group CrossFit Games.

Games Qualification Spots

• Individual Athletes: The number of athletes advancing from the Semifinals to the CrossFit Games varies based on performance and regional representation.
• Teams: The top 20 teams from the In-Affiliate Semifinals qualify for the CrossFit Games.
• Age-Group Athletes: Qualification spots are allocated based on performance in the Age-Group Semifinals.

These updates aim to streamline the qualification process and provide multiple pathways for athletes to reach the CrossFit Games.

The CrossFit Games

The 2025 CrossFit Games are scheduled at the MVP Arena in Albany, New York, from August 1 to 3, 2025. This marks the first time the Games will be hosted on the East Coast of the United States. Tickets are expected to go on sale in early spring. For those planning to attend, CrossFit has partnered with JPG Travel/Event Pipe to offer discounted hotel accommodations.

The MVP Arena, located at 51 South Pearl St., Albany, NY 12207, has a seating capacity of up to 15,000 and has previously hosted CrossFit events, including the East Regional from 2016 through 2018.