The third 2025 CrossFit Games In-Person Qualifying Event (IPQE) begins this week in Málaga, Spain.
The Wodland Fest features deep rosters of elite individual men and women fighting for four spots at the Games (two each for the men and women).
Remind me: Just last week, Copa Sur awarded invitations to four athletes for the Games, and a few weeks prior, the Mayhem Classic did the same.
- The current list of athletes who have qualified for the Games at In-Person Qualifying Events (IPQEs) includes:
- Austin Hatfield
- Colten Mertens
- Henrique Moreira
- Kalyan Souza
- Fee Saghafi
- Abbie Domit
- Maria Quintero
- Luiza Marques
The complete 30-person Games rosters for men and women will be assembled as follows:
- In-Affiliate Semifinals – 11 men and women.
- In-Person Qualifying Events (10 competitions) – 18 men and women (each event offers one or two Games tickets).
- Last Chance Qualifier – one man and one woman.
The Details
Wodland Fest takes place from April 25 to April 27, hosted by MAD Events.
All events will occur at the UMA Sports Complex. Tickets are still available here.
- Athletes qualified to compete at Wodland through an online qualifier in January.
As we get ready for an action-packed weekend in Spain, here are six things you need to know:
6 Things You Need To Know About Wodland Fest
The Elite Division Is Deep and Talented
The first thing worth noting about Wodland Fest is the size of the field. The event was originally slated to host 20 men and 20 women in the elite individual division, but it was greatly expanded when the competition extended invitations to the top 80 men and 70 women in its online qualifier. Check out the full rosters here.
- It’s important to note that at the time of publication, the leaderboard has not yet been released. As a result, the number of athletes may change before the competition begins.
To earn a ticket to the CrossFit Games at Wodland Fest, athletes must have finished in the top one percent worldwide in the 2025 Open and then place first or second at the event.
- There are athletes in the field who could earn a podium position but still not secure a ticket to the Games.
Exciting Wild Cards
Some notable athletes received wildcard invitations to the event, strengthening the field. Among them are Jonne Koski, Aniol Ekai, Roman Khrennikov, Lucy Campbell, Karin Frey, Linda Keesman, Spencer Panchick, and others.
- If he competes, this will be Khrennikov’s second In-Person Qualifying Event. He missed out on a Games spot by one place at the Mayhem Classic.
“Mayhem Up”
If you’re interested in the programming for this weekend, it’s all available on the event website and social media.
One workout stands out because we’ve seen it before: Test 3, named “Mayhem Up,” is a direct take on the final workout of the Mayhem Classic just a few weeks ago, which also showed up as Event 3, called “Mayhem 1” at Copa Sur.
- This week, it will include Assault Bikes instead of Echo Bikes, but otherwise, it remains the same. The brutal sprint workout left bodies on the floor at the end of a grueling weekend.
No “Heavy Isabel”
Wodland Fest is the first Qualifying Event this season not to feature “Heavy Isabel.” All North American IPQEs have agreed to include this workout, which also appeared at Copa Sur; however, there has been no indication of whether the other non-North American events will follow suit.
- Don’t worry, Wodland Fest fans will get their share of heavy lifting when athletes take on Test 4, which is a clean and jerk complex.
- So far, we’ve seen two events take on “Heavy Isabel” and will likely not see its return until The Fittest Experience Invitational (TFX) on May 16 in Oklahoma City, OK.
Tight Time Caps
It’s not surprising that the time caps on the workouts are relatively brief, considering the sheer size of the athlete field. If the numbers reach the anticipated levels, Wodland Fest will be the largest of all IPQEs.
- The longest time cap is 20 minutes, applying to Test 1, which consists of multiple rounds of sandbag squats and running.
- The shortest time cap is in the weightlifting test, where athletes will have seven minutes to establish a one-rep-max clean and jerk complex.
Wodland Fest Will Be Live Streamed on BFriendly Fitness
There is currently no formal Wodland Fest livestream available; however, Brian Friend, co-founder of B.Friendly Fitness, plans to livestream the event on his YouTube channel.
- “When Alfonso [Wodland Fest organizer] reached out to do the live stream for Wodland Fest, and there wasn’t one previously, I looked at the list of athletes, an incredible group of athletes from Europe, and I thought to myself we have to do this,” Friend told Morning Chalk Up.
- A friend was also recently on The Rich Froning Podcast, where he shared that he would be livestreaming the event and provided some deeper insights into the sport in general. The full episode can be found here.
The Bottom Line
We’re expecting a fun and exciting event that is jam-packed with elite athletes and fans. No matter how big the field ends up being, only four people can earn their Games spot. The fight is on.
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Featured Image: @wodlandfest / Instagram