Which Regions Could Be Most Impacted by the Reduction to 30 Teams at the CrossFit Games?

When CrossFit dropped the news about the 2024 season last week, most discussion centered around two things – 25% advancing to Quarterfinals and the expansion of age group and adaptive divisions at their respective CrossFit Games. One of the topics that was mentioned, but not thoroughly examined was the reduction of the number of teams at the 2024 CrossFit Games.

Only 30 teams will end up qualifying for the 2024 CrossFit Games in Ft. Worth, Texas. The past three years have seen 38 teams qualify out of Semifinals. The announcement, however, did not identify which regions would send fewer teams to the Games.

The 38 Team Field

The past three CrossFit Games (2021-2023) have had a field of 38 teams. And unlike the individual Open division, the number of teams from each region were pre-determined and have been consistent since 2021.

Here’s a breakdown of the number of teams from each region:

*In 2021 and 2022, there were four regions in North America. Each region sent 5 teams. In 2023, there were two regions in North America and each sent 10 teams.

**In 2021 and 2022, there were two regions in Europe. Each region sent 5 teams. In 2023, Europe was combined into one region and 10 teams qualified for the CrossFit Games.

The 30 Team Field?

So if there are going to be eight less teams at the 2024 CrossFit Games, which regions will send less teams? Or maybe the question should be…which regions should lose spots?

To answer the second question, it would be good to look back at how teams from the different regions have fared the past three years at the CrossFit Games.

As you can see in the tables above, the dominant teams have come primarily from North America and Europe over the past three years. Oceania has had a sixth place team in 2021 and 2022.

The other three smaller regions, Asia, South America and Africa, have not had a team finish better than 31st in any of the past three CrossFit Games. And that 31st place team, Cape Wolfpack CrossFit, was a last-minute backfill due to a failed drug test. So in three years not one team from Africa, Asia or South America have made it into the top 30.

And the top 5 has always come from North America or Europe. In fact, this past season the top 15 teams came from the two North American regions and Europe!

So Which Regions Will Get Less Spots to the Games?

If you started doing the math in your head, North America and Europe will get less spots to the 2024 CrossFit Games no matter what. Even if Oceania, Asia, South America and Africa only received one qualifying spot per region, that means the two North American and one European region would lose a combined four spots.

And while I can’t say with certainty, it’s unlikely that any of the developing regions lose spots, it almost certainly means that North America and Europe will lose out on the eight spots in 2024.

If I was going to put money on it, I would expect to see North America lose three spots per region and Europe loses two. That would leave the region breakdown as follows:

The only other option for CrossFit would be to guarantee one minimum qualifying spot per region and allocate the remaining 23 spots based on Quarterfinals performance. CrossFit has been reluctant to use in-year performance to allocate qualifying spots to the CrossFit Games. Could that change this year or will we see the eight-team reduction coming from the dominant regions?

Or do you have a different idea on how the 30-team field could be allocated amongst the Semifinals? Head over to Instagram and comment on this article’s post.