U.S. to host 2026 U23 World Championships in Las Vegas and Pan American Championships in Iowa

ZAGREB, Croatia – United World Wrestling announced its host cities for all age-group World Championships and Continental Championships for 2026 with the U.S. being awarded bids for the U23 World Championships and Senior Pan American Championships.

Las Vegas will play host to the U23 World Championships October 12-18 at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. It will be the first World Championships of any age-group on U.S. soil since the 2015 Senior World Championships were held at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, and the first time the nation has hosted the U23 Worlds.

The Senior Pan American Championships return to the U.S. for the first time since 2016, when the event was held in conjunction with the Pan American Olympic Games Qualifier at Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas. The 2026 event will go to Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa, May 6-9.

USA Wrestling has hosted the Pan American Championships six times (2016, 2012, 2008, 1989, 1990, 1986). The five events held prior to 2016 were all hosted in Colorado Springs, Colo.

More detailed information about these events, including ticket information and U.S. lineups, will be released at a later date.

Other events confirmed by UWW for the 2026 season that Team USA will participate in include:

U17 World Championships

Baku, Azerbaijan

July 27 – August 2

U20 World Championships

Manama, Bahrain

August 17-23

U15 Pan American Championships

Santiago, Chile

Dates TBD

U17 Pan American Championships

Panama City, Panama

May 28-30

U20 Pan American Championships

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

July 9-11

U23 Pan American Championships

Miranda, Venezuela

Dates TBD

UWW will announce the host site of the 2026 Senior World Championships on September 16. The candidate cities are Bratislava, Slovakia, and Manama, Bahrain.

For a complete calendar of UWW events, visit uww.org.