K-1 has confirmed the return of World MAX at -70kg in 2026 with a revised qualification structure that places greater emphasis on regional tournaments. Instead of assembling the bracket largely through domestic selection, part of the field will be decided through international one-day events held outside Japan.
The system is built around eight qualification tournaments across eight countries, all feeding into the official World MAX stages in Japan. Six of the sixteen Final 16 positions will be decided through this international qualification process, with the remaining spots filled through K-1 selection.
INTERNATIONAL QUALIFICATION EVENTS
K-1 plans to stage international qualifying tournaments in eight locations: Rome in Italy, the Canary Islands in Spain, Athens in Greece, Melbourne in Australia, Bucharest in Romania, São Paulo in Brazil, Yekaterinburg in Russia, and Utrecht in the Netherlands. Each event is intended to produce a regional representative for World MAX 2026, although the tournament formats differ depending on location.
Four of those locations Romania, Brazil, Russia, and the Netherlands will host eight-man one-day tournaments, with each winner qualifying directly for the World MAX Final 16 in Tokyo after winning three bouts in a single night. The remaining four locations Italy, Spain, Greece, and Australia will stage four-man one-day tournaments, whose winners advance to a secondary playoff event in Japan on July 20, 2026, at Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall B. There, Italy will face Spain and Greece will face Australia, with the two winners earning the final international qualification spots. In total, the international circuit produces six fighters for the World MAX Final 16.
WORLD MAX FINAL 16 AND FINAL 8
The World MAX tournament proper begins with the Final 16 on September 12, 2026, at Yoyogi National Gymnasium No. 2 in Tokyo. The six fighters who qualify through the international circuit will be joined by ten additional entrants selected by K-1, a group expected to include the reigning champion, established contenders from recent K-1 events, and fighters chosen to represent key markets. The Final 16 follows a standard single-elimination format.
The eight winners from Tokyo then advance to the World MAX Final 8 on December 29, 2026, at Yokohama BUNTAI, where the 2026 -70kg champion will be decided. K-1 has not yet confirmed whether the Final 8 will be completed in one night or spread across the event card, but it is positioned as the division’s year-end conclusion.
CRUISERWEIGHT PLANS
K-1 has indicated that the same international qualification concept is also planned for the -90kg division, with overseas tournaments expected to feed into future title events in a similar way. For World MAX in 2026, the -70kg class will serve as the first full application of this structure, combining international qualifying events with a Japan-based Final 16 and Final 8, with further adjustments expected once the system is in operation.
