2026 Arnold Sports Festival lineup announced
The Issue Is: Arnold Schwarzenegger in Austria
We join Arnold Schwarzenegger in Austria for the Austria World Summit. And, we join his pump club at his childhood home.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The lineup for the 2026 Arnold Sports Festival was announced Friday, an event that honors the legacy of former governor of California and bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The former California governor won 19 bodybuilding titles in his career, including seven Mr. Olympia wins. After retiring from the sport, Schwarzenegger founded the prestigious show in 1989.
The three-day event is an annual celebration of health and fitness, which also features the Arnold Strongman Classic and IFBB Pro League contests.
Which athletes will compete at the 2026 Arnold Festival?
What we know:
Professional athletes have to apply, and a select few are then selected to compete at the big show. See a list of the athletes that made the cut to compete below.
(Getty Images)
Open
- Anthony Williams
- Tonio Burton
- Chinedu Andrew Obiekea
- Martin Fitzwater
- Brandon Curry
- Akim Willams
- Nick Walker
- Rafael Brandao
- Hassan Mostafa
- Mohamed Hassan
- Hadi Choopan
Classic Physique
- Wesley Vissers
- Matheus Menegate Piccioli
- Sam Sulek
- Mike Sommerfeld
- Andrea Mammoli
- Paul Kanu
- Hang Niu
- Gabriel Zancanelli
- Ethan Gohari
- Jorge Herrera
- Vahid Badpeei
- Joaquim Camps Angel
Men's Physique
- Nam Tran Quang
- Emanuel Hunter
- Vitor Chaves
- Andrei Deiu
- Benquil Marigny
- Brandon Hendrickson
- Edvan Palmeira
- Alessandro Cavagnola
- Emmanuel Jesus Oliveira da Costa
- Burak Ozkul
- Dilson Espindola Silva
- Paul Gustave
Bikini
- Ashlyn Little
- Ashley Kaltwasser
- Reyna Perez
- Jourdanne Lee
- Lauralie Chapados
- Aimee Delgado
- Uliana Chornohuz
- Tianna Weymouth
- Sharon Ramos
- Xinyi Chen
- Marie-Eve Duchesneau
- Phoebe Hagan
Wellness
- Rayane Santana
- Elisa Alcantara
- Valquiria Telles Lopes
- Raeli Pereira Dias
- Camile Luz
- Kassandra Gillis
- Alexis Drury
- Danai Theodoropoulou
- Laysha Yireth Benitez Millan
- Marissa Andreou
- Gisele Machado
- Isamara Santos
Fitness
- Amber Steffen
- Michelle Fredua-Mensah
- Anna Fomina
- Jessica Zehr
- Abby Bolton
- Tamara Von Semmler(Vahn)
- Stephanie Jones
- Michaela Pavleova
- Jeanine Renee Taddeo
- Danielle Chikeles
- Michelle Gales
- Aurika Tyrgale
Wheelchair
- Rajesh John
- Jason Metcalf
- Steve Suppes
- Nick Hewitt
- James Berger
- Josue Fabiano
- Jan Povýšil
- Will Anthony
Arnold Strongman Classic
- Austin Andrad
- Hafþór Björnsson
- Andrew Burton
- Tom Evans
- Lucas Hatton
- Mitchell Hooper
- Bryce Johnson
- Martins Licis
- Trey Mitchell
- Rayno Nel
- Luke Richardson
- Tom Stoltman
2026 Arnold Classic Schedule
Timeline:
The Arnold Sports Festival is scheduled from March 5–8, 303+ at the Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio.
See a list of scheduled events below.
- Thursday, March 5: IFBB Pro League meet and greet
- Friday, March 6: Arnold Strongman Classic, prejudging and finals for Arnold Classic Physique, Fitness International, Wellness International, and prejudging for Arnold Classic Men's Open
- Saturday, March 7: Prejudging and finals for Pro Wheelchair, Arnold Strongwoman Classic, Arnold Men's Physique, Bikini International, and finals for Arnomd Classic Men's Open
- Sunday, March 8: Arnold Showcase, 5K Pump and run
The Arnold Expo runs Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
This story was reported from Los Angeles.
The Source: This story was written with information from the official Arnold Sports Festival Website and verified Instagram account.