Preparation has begun for the ADCC Youth Championship 2026, as the promotion has just announced both the date and location for the event. Although this will be just the second time that the tournament has taken place, ADCC has already managed to position it as the world’s biggest event for aspiring young no gi grapplers. There are a few changes for this year though, starting with the fact that it’s been decoupled from the actual world championship. The inaugural edition of the ADCC Youth World Championship was arranged as part of the build-up to the main event and it took place in the same venue during the days leading up to ADCC 2024.
The second edition will take place more than a whole month before ADCC 2026, as it has been scheduled for August 9th, 2026. It isn’t even going to happen in the same country as ADCC 2026 either, let alone the same venue. ADCC will be coming to Poland for the first time ever this year, whereas the Youth World Championship has been booked for the Luedecke Arena in Austin, Texas instead. The disconnect does make a little bit of sense in fairness, as Mo Jassim stepped down from his role as ADCC head organizer this year and the Youth World Championship was his brainchild.
Anyone interested in the future of the sport will still be tuning in to watch the ADCC Youth World Championship though, as it is the perfect setting to showcase the next generation of elite talent. Some of the 2024 champions like Jett Thompson, Joslyn Molina, and Taylor Hishaw have all already broke through to the highest level since then. As the tournament operates in age brackets, some of the oldest champions will have aged out while the younger ones will likely be returning to test themselves at a new level. There will be plenty of new faces too though, as ADCC have started their first Youth Trials ready for this tournament too.
The full ADCC Youth Championship 2026 live event is available to watch August 9th, 2026 on FloGrappling, click here to subscribe and watch.
