The 2026 World’s Strongest Man is taking place from April 23 to 26 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The first two days featured the Qualifying Stage, where 25 athletes competed across five events for a chance to advance. With only ten spots available in the Finals, the lineup is now officially set.
Similar to last year, the World’s Strongest Man has moved away from the traditional “clean slate” finals in favor of a weighted carryover system. That means that instead of all ten finalists starting from zero, their qualifying performances are evaluated, compared, and ranked. Consequently, those who performed better in the qualifiers enter the finals with more points. The scoring starts at 10 points for the best performer and incrementally decreases with each following position.
This rule ensures that the athletes are incentivized to maintain intensity in the qualifiers, even if they have qualified before the final event. In previous years, the athletes were able to coast and preserve energy for the finals, which some thought was unfair. Now, every second and every rep in the qualifying stage carry a massive advantage, as they could ultimately be the deciding factor in the battle for the title.
2026 World’s Strongest Man Finalists
- Mitchell Hooper (CAN) — 10 points
- Rayno Nel (RSA) — 9 points
- Austin Andrade (MEX) — 8 points
- Eddie Williams (AUS) — 7 points
- Ondrej Fojtu (CZE) — 6 points
- Pavlo Kordiyaka (UKR) — 5 points
- Martins Licis (LVA) — 3.5 points
- Trey Mitchell (USA) — 3.5 points
- Mathew Ragg (NZL) — 2 points
- Nick Guardione (USA) — 1 point
Related: Luke Stoltman Withdraws From 2026 World’s and Europe’s Strongest Man After Breaking His Leg
Finals Lineup Overview
The defending champion, Rayno Nel, has managed to win his group for the second year in a row, showing that he is determined to add to his legacy. His qualifying performance earned him nine points, but it is also important to note that the finals events seem to suit him well.
Mitchell Hooper had an incredible performance in the qualifying stage, placing top two across all five events. As a result, Hooper is coming into the finals with 10 points to his name, making him one of the favorites to take the title this year
Austin Andrade and Mathew Ragg were the top two finishers in group two. They had a difficult task to qualify but managed to beat the 3x World’s Strongest Man, Tom Stoltman, and pulled off the biggest surprise in recent years. That alone proves that they can beat anyone in the world, making them contenders for the title. Austin and Mathew have earned eight and two points, respectively.
Ondrej Fojtu has arguably been the most impressive athlete in the qualifying stage. He convincingly beat everyone in his group, despite the fact that he competed in and won 2026 Europe’s Strongest Man just two weeks prior. With five points to kick off his finals appearance, Ondrej is one of the biggest favorites for the podium spots. One of his biggest rivals will be Eddie Williams, who will have two points more from the get-go.
Martins ‘The Dragon’ Licis has continued his streak of making it to the finals, as he has made six appearances in the WSM so far and made it into the final ten every time. Nick Guardione also secured his spot in the finals following a very intense battle against Luke Richardson. This is his first time making it into the top 10, and he goes in with 1 point to his name.
Group five was insanely unpredictable as well, as three athletes were separated by just one point with one event to go. Ultimately, Pavlo Kordiyaka and Trey Mitchell made it to the finals once again.
Related: 2026 Europe’s Strongest Man Results — Ondřej Fojtů Wins
The group stage of the 2026 World’s Strongest Man featured a nail-biting finish and marked one of the most interesting qualifiers in recent years. Hopefully the finals will continue with the same momentum, as all ten athletes have earned their spot and proved that they are genuine podium threats.
2026 WSM Related Content
- 2026 World’s Strongest Man Results
- 2026 World’s Strongest Man Results — Day Two Qualifiers
- 2026 World’s Strongest Man Results — Day One Qualifiers
- How to Watch 2026 World’s Strongest Man
- 2026 World’s Strongest Man Withdrawals
Follow the 2026 World’s Strongest Man – event breakdowns, athlete interviews, full results, and all the latest news at our WSM hub: FitnessVolt.com/wsm
