The Arnold Sports Festival will feature 12 Strongmen and 11 Strongwomen.
The 2026 Arnold Sports Festival will take place from March 5-8. During the weekend, there are many big-time events that captivate attention from those in attendance and many fans all over the world. In recent years, the Arnold Strongman & Strongwoman Classic has become one of the top competitions at the festival.
On Friday, the full lineup for both the Strongman and Strongwoman competitions were announced and will feature some of the top names in the sport.
2026 Arnold Strongman Classic Lineup
- Austin Andrade
- Hafthor Bjornsson
- Andrew Burton
- Tom Evans
- Lucas Hatton
- Mitchell Hooper
- Bryce Johnson
- Martins Licis
- Trey Mitchell
- Rayno Nel
- Luke Richardson
- Tom Stoltman
The Strongman lineup is headlined by multiple champions who have won some of the biggest shows in the world.
Mitchell Hooper returns as the reigning and three-time Arnold Strongman champion. He has put together plenty of momentum over the years, winning the World’s Strongest Man and rogue Invitational in 2023 to catapult himself among the best in the world. Hooper will be challenged by three-time Arnold champion Hafthor Bjornsson.
Since his return to Strongman, Bjornsson has been on a tear and that includes breaking his own deadlift world record at 505kg. Thor won the World’s Strongest Man title in 2018 while being a winner in Columbus three times. And he is one of many former WSM winners in the field.
Rayno Nel is coming off a victory at the Strongman Champions League World Finals. He dominated the event with five event wins and cruised to the title. Nel rode momentum from his first World’s Strongest Man title in 2025. Nel was able to dethrone three-time champion Tom Stoltman, who finished as the runner-up. Stoltman will be one of many contenders in the field in Columbus.
Martins Licis will also make his return to the Arnold Strongman Classic. He was victorious at this event in 2022 before taking some time off to focus on other ventures. At his peak, Licis was one of the top competitors in the world, winning the WSM title in 2019 and Rogue Invitational title in 2021.
2026 Arnold Strongwoman Classic Lineup
- Katie Blunden
- Inez Carrasquillo
- Angelica Jardine
- Olga Liashchuk
- Hannah Linzay
- Jennifer Lyle
- Jackie Osczevski
- Melissa Peacock
- Rebecca Roberts
- Andrea Thompson
- Lucy Underwood
Inez Carrasquillo headlines the Strongwoman roster as the reigning champion. She was able to edge out Olga Liashchuck, who finished as the runner-up and will also return to the event this year.
The Arnold Strongwoman Classic began in 2017 and six different winners have been crowned. This year’s show will feature three of them. Liashchuck was the winner in 2019 and 2020 and has finished as the runner-up each of the last two years. Angelica Jardine was victorious in 2024 and will look to regain her title.
Rebecca Roberts will also be one of the favorites in the event, coming in with three World’s Strongest Woman titles, which is tied for the second most in history.
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