2026 USA Weightlifting National Event Schedule

COLORADO SPRINGS – USA Weightlifting announces the dates and locations for each of the 2026 national events, including the VIRUS Weightlifting Series, Masters National Championships, National University Championships, and National Championships Week. USAW will visit the great states of Ohio, Utah, Texas, Colorado and California in 2026. The full event calendar, including registration details and event-specific information, will be added to the National Events calendar in the coming days.

The VIRUS Weightlifting Series 1 will return to the Arnold Sports Festival at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, from March 5-8, 2026. Registration will begin on Nov. 1, 2025 and runs until the cap of 1,400 athletes is reached. The Arnold Sports Festival showcases over 20,000 athletes competing across more than 80 sports and events, and is an exciting atmosphere for both competitors and spectators. 2026 marks the eighth time that the VWS1 will be held at the Arnold Sports Festival.

After five years running in tandem with the VWS1, the 2026 National University Championships will be held in conjunction with the Masters National Championships for the first time. The combined event will be held at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah from April 9-12, 2026. Both competitions will have their own dedicated platform, and the National University Championships will no longer have a registration cap. USAW is partnering with Powerlifting America for the second consecutive year. PA will run their 2026 Classic Open parallel to the USAW competitions. Powerlifting America is the recognized United States member federation affiliate to the International Powerlifting Federation.

“Salt Lake is a great city to compete in with a long history of hosting well-run events in the sport. Athletes should look forward to the additional venue energy the combination of Masters Nationals and University Nationals will generate,” said Gwen Chamberlin, representative of the Masters Council. “This change in the USAW national event calendar will spread out events better and make things more manageable for coaches and athletes alike.”

"We’ve been fortunate and thankful to be a part of the Arnold Sports Festival these past four years, but with space at a premium, it’s been difficult to realize the growth potential that collegiate weightlifting holds,” said David Griffin, representative of the University Weightlifting Commission. “We’re excited for 2026 University Nationals to feature a new city for students to compete in, have the registration cap removed, and offer a qualification period that runs deeper into the school year. This will ultimately provide an increased opportunity for more university students from around the country to represent their school on the national stage. We’re excited for the future of university weightlifting, and we’re certain that the collegiate teams will bring the same high energy we’ve come to expect at the Arnold these past few years."

2026 National Championships Week will be held at Ed Robson Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado for the second year in a row. The nine-day event will take place June 20-28, 2026, and include Senior, Junior, U25, and Youth Nationals. Youth Nationals will include age categories of U11, U13, 14-15, and 16-17. 2025 Nationals Week showcased over 1,500 athletes on the platform.

For the third consecutive year, the VIRUS Weightlifting Series 2 will be held in Fort Worth, Texas at the Fort Worth Convention Center. The event will take place September 10-13, 2026, and will include the Texas-Oklahoma WSO Championships. It is the third year in a four-year contract with the city of Fort Worth.

VIRUS Weightlifting Finals will take place at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. from December 3-6, 2026. USAW will be making its return to Pleasanton after the city hosted the 2023 North American Open Series 2 and the 2020 National Junior, University, and U25 Championships.

A comprehensive timeline for each competition is below:

Location: Columbus, OH

Venue: Greater Columbus Convention Center

Competition Dates: March 5-8, 2026

Qualification Period: February 5, 2025 – February 5, 2026

Registration Opens ($199): November 1, 2025 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Registration Closes: February 19, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Preliminary Schedule Released: February 7, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Verification of Final Entries: February 23, 2026 - 10:00-10:30 a.m. MT

Final Schedule Released: February 25, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Location: Salt Lake City, UT

Venue: Salt Palace Convention Center

Competition Dates: April 9-12, 2026

Qualification Period: March 12, 2025 – March 12, 2026

Registration Opens: January 1, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Early Bird Registration ($145)

Closes: February 26, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Regular Registration ($175)

Closes: March 12, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Late Registration ($375)

Closes: March 26, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Preliminary Schedule Released: March 14, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Verification of Final Entries: March 30, 2026 - 10:00-10:30 a.m. MT

Final Schedule Released: April 1, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Location: Colorado Springs, CO

Venue: Ed Robson Arena

Competition Dates: June 20-28, 2026

Qualification Period: May 21, 2025 – May 21, 2026

Registration Opens: January 1, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Early Bird Registration ($145)

Closes: May 7, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Regular Registration ($175)

Closes: May 21, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Late Registration ($375)

Closes: June 4, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

2026 National Youth, Junior, U25 Championships

Preliminary Schedule Released: May 23, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Verification of Final Entries: June 8, 2026 - 10:00-10:30 a.m. MT

Final Schedule Released:  June 10, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

2026 National Senior Championships

Preliminary Schedule Released: May 23, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Verification of Final Entries: June 15, 2026 - 10:00-10:30 a.m. MT

Final Schedule Released: June 17, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Location: Fort Worth, TX

Venue: Fort Worth Convention Center

Competition Dates: September 10-13, 2026

Qualification Period: August 13, 2025 – August 13, 2026

Registration Opens: January 1, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Early Bird Registration ($145)

Closes: July 30, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Regular Registration ($175)

Closes: August 13, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Late Registration ($375)

Closes: August 27, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Preliminary Schedule Released: August 15, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Verification of Final Entries: August 31, 2026 - 10:00-10:30 a.m. MT

Final Schedule Released: September 2, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Location: Pleasanton, CA

Venue: Alameda County Fairgrounds

Competition Dates: December 3-6, 2026

Qualification Period: November 5, 2025 – November 5, 2026

Registration Opens: January 1, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Early Bird Registration ($145)

Closes: October 22, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Regular Registration ($175)

Closes: November 5, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Late Registration ($375)

Closes: November 19, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Preliminary Schedule Released: November 7, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT

Verification of Final Entries: November 23, 2026 - 10:00-10:30 a.m. MT

Final Schedule Released: November 25, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. MT