The full slate of bodybuilders competing at the 2026 Arnold Classic has been shared!
The 2026 Arnold Classic will be the 38th edition of the show and will feature a total of seven divisions in bodybuilding. Arnold Schwarzenegger continues to make this one of the top shows of the year, with the overall prize purse increasing with record-setting totals for the Men’s Open champion. On Friday afternoon, the full lineup for each division was announced and it features some of the biggest names in the sport.
[RELATED: Arnold Classic Increasing Overall Prize Purse & Men’s Open Title]
The Arnold Sports Festival will return to Columbus, Ohio and take place from March 5-8. The headliner will be the bodybuilding competition, which will crown new champions in each division on Friday and Saturday night. In May, Schwarzenegger shared that the 2026 Arnold Classic will feature a $1.5 million prize purse. This includes $750,000 to the Men’s Open champion. Arnold has been raising his prize money each year in order to give competitors further incentive to take the stage. He also wants the prize to be worth the preparation that bodybuilders go through all year long.
The full lineups have been announced and it features many former champions returning.
2026 Arnold Classic Men’s Open Lineup
- Rafael Brandao
- Tonio Burton
- Hadi Choopan
- Brandon Curry
- Martin Fitzwater
- Mohamed Hassan
- Andrew Jacked
- Hassan Mostafa
- Nick Walker
- Akim Williams
- Anthony Williams
The Men’s Open division will be loaded once again this year. Reigning Arnold and Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford announced that he will not be present during the show so there will be a new champion crowned in 2026.
Choopan and Jacked lead the way after finishing second and third to Lunsford during the Olympia respectively. Jacked finished third at last year’s competition and is expected to be one of the favorites to win the show. Curry is another former champion that will return after his fourth-place finish in 2025.
2026 Arnold Classic Full Rosters
Many other divisions will feature some of the biggest names in the world as well. Classic Physique will feature the return of Wesley Vissers as he goes head-to-head with Mike Sommerfeld, who has finished second at the Olympia in each of the last two years. He is also reigning Arnold champion in the division. Sam Sulek will also make his long-awaited return to the stage and fans will get to see him in one of the biggest shows of the year. Former Men’s Physique Olympia champion Brandon Hendrickson will headline this division along with Alessandro Cavagnola.
It will be a battle in Bikini as well as Ashley Kaltwasser takes the stage as the winningest competitor in the sport. Kaltwasser will battle former Arnold and Olympia champion Lauralie Chapados.
Classic Physique
- Joaquim Camps Angel
- Vahid Badpeei
- Ethan Gohari
- Jorge Herrera
- Paul Kanu
- Andrea Mammoli
- Matheus Menegate Piccioli
- Hang Niu
- Mike Sommerfeld
- Sam Sulek
- Wesley Vissers
- Gabriel Zancanelli
Men’s Physique
- Alessandro Cavagnola
- Vitor Chaves
- Emmanuel Jesus Oliveira da Costa
- Andrei Deiu
- Paul Gustave
- Brandon Hendrickson
- Emanuel Hunter
- Benquil Marigny
- Burak Ozkul
- Edvan Palmeira
- Dilson Espindola Silva
Fitness
- Abby Bolton
- Danielle Chikeles
- Anna Fomina
- Michelle Fredua-Mensah
- Michelle Gales
- Stephanie Jones
- Allison Kramer
- Michaela Pavleova
- Amber Steffen
- JeanineRenee Taddeo
- Aurika Tyrgale
- Tamara Vahn
- Jessica Zehr
Wellness
- Elisa Alcantara
- Marissa Andreou
- Raeli Pereira Dias
- Alexis Drury
- Kassandra Gillis
- Valquiria Telles Lopes
- Camile Luz
- Laysha Yireth Benitez Millan
- Gisele Machado
- Rayane Santana
- Isamara Santos
- Danai Theodoropoulou
Bikini
- Lauralie Chapados
- Xinyi Chen
- Uilana Chornohuz
- Aimee Delgado
- Marie-Eve Duchesneau
- Phoebe Hagan
- Ashley Kaltwasser
- Jourdanne Lee
- Ashlyn Little
- Reyna Perez
- Sharon Ramos
- Tiana Weymouth
Pro Wheelchair
- Will Anthony
- James Berger
- Josue Fabiano
- Nick Hewitt
- Rajesh John
- Jason Metcalf
- Jan Povysil
- Steve Suppes
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