In October, the IFSC will present the «Nations Grand Final» a new competition format. At the invitational event in Fukuoka, Japan, the six best climbing nations compete in bouldering, lead climbing, and paraclimbing.
This season there is not only one last Lead World Cup in Koper and the World Championships of all disciplines in Seoul – the IFSC In October, the IFSC also invites you to the first ever "IFSC Nations Grand Finale," a new competition format. The event will take place from October 23 to 26 in Fukuoka, Japan, and will include the disciplines Boulder, Lead and paraclimbing.
These climbing nations are there
Participation in the Nations Grand Final, which will complement the international climbing competitions in the future, is invitation-based. The six climbing nations that have earned the most points in the 2025 global World Cup rankings will compete in the premiere event: Japan, France, Slovenia, Austria, the USA and Great Britain.
With this event we celebrate the strongest national teams from the World Cup.
IFSC
First competition rules already known
Each of the six nations is allowed to send two athletes to Fukuoka. There is also the option to bring a substitute. A special feature of the format: All participants compete in a Combined format of boulder and lead – more detailed information is not available at the moment.
It is not the first time that the IFSC experimented with new competition modes. In 2021, the world governing body hosted a mixed-gender bouldering competition with different national teams in Salt Lake City for the first (and so far only) time, which they now plan to further develop.
Paraclimbing also planned
The IFSC has announced that paraclimbing will be part of the Nations Grand Final in Fukuoka. The eight starting categories will also apply, as announced for the discipline's debut at the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles: For men, these are the B1, AU2, AL2, and RP1 categories; for women, these are the B2, AU2, AL2, and RP1 categories.
Further details about the event and the selection of participating athletes will be announced in the coming weeks.
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Credits Cover photo: IFSC/Dimitris Tosidis