Rogue Invitational returns to Aberdeen for third year running

The Rogue Invitational is coming back to Aberdeen for a third consecutive year — and organisers have made clear it will be the last time. Rogue Fitness confirmed in January 2026 that the 8th annual edition of its flagship CrossFit and Strongman competition will take place at P&J Live from 23 to 25 October 2026, with a prize purse of at least $1,490,000 on the table.

The announcement, published by P&J Live on 19–20 January 2026 and confirmed on Rogue's official X account, ends any lingering uncertainty about whether the event would return to Scotland at all. Rogue's Chief Sales Officer, Caity Matter Henniger, had told the Coffee Pods and Wods podcast ahead of the 2025 event that the company would "be somewhere else next year." Apparently those plans changed.

"We're happy to be back in Aberdeen for our third year of the Rogue Invitational," Henniger said in a statement. "With the city, the venue, and the history of strength culture in Scotland, the decision was clear to return for another year!"

What has not changed is the finality of this edition. Rogue's own X post described 2026 as their "final year in Aberdeen," and no future UK dates have been announced.

What the event involves

The Rogue Invitational began in 2019 as a CrossFit sanctioned competition. Strongman was added in 2021 and Strongwoman in 2024. The 2026 event will bring together the biggest names across all three disciplines for three days of competition on the floor at P&J Live, East Burn Road, Aberdeen, AB21 9FX.

Past competitors have included Iceland's Hafthor "Thor" Bjornsson, the Scottish Stoltman brothers, Canadian Strongman Mitchell Hooper, and CrossFit Games winners Laura Horvath and Jeff Adler. Horvath and Adler each took home nearly $233,000 for winning the 2025 edition.

A pre-event kick-off is scheduled for the evening before competition begins, on Thursday 22 October, running from 7PM to 9PM at P&J Live. That evening will feature a BrewDog Beer Garden with lite bites and the 2026 Iron Game beer, with exclusive early access to Vendor Village — including the Rogue Retail Store — from 6:30PM.

Prize purse: bigger, and built differently

Rogue has increased its cash investment from $1,000,000 in 2025 to $1,215,000 in 2026 — a 21.5% rise. On top of that, the company has purchased $275,000 worth of Bitcoin at $95,000 per coin. Any growth in the coin's value before the purse is locked will be paid out to athletes at the valuation at that time, meaning the final figure could exceed the guaranteed floor.

Additional contributions come from ticket sales — $5 per attendee ticket sold goes directly into the purse — plus 10% of registration fees from the 2026 online qualifier, known as "The Q." Combined, the guaranteed minimum purse stands at $1,490,000, with first place in the Individual CrossFit competition worth $256,280.

For context, the 2024 prize purse reached over $1.8 million, with $282,821 going to first place. The prize structure has fluctuated year-on-year partly because of the Bitcoin component, which introduces genuine upside — and downside — risk.

Tickets and attendance

Tickets are on sale now through AXS and Ticketmaster. Options include Floor Seats on the sidelines and finish line of the competition floor, Weekend Tickets, and Sideline Suites — privately reserved areas accommodating 12 people on the ground floor next to the field of play, with exact location selectable via the interactive seat map on AXS.

Hospitality packages are also available via Ticketmaster, including the Luxe Scot Lounge Upgrade, which includes early access, fast-track entry, a complimentary drink on arrival, and access to the lounge before, during and after each day's competition. Children aged two and under are admitted free with a paying adult. Specific face-value prices in pounds sterling had not been published in accessible content at the time of writing; all prices on both platforms are listed inclusive of VAT and ticketing fees. Customers are limited to 12 tickets per transaction; those needing more are directed to email tickets@rogueinvitational.com.

What Aberdeen has delivered so far

The 2024 and 2025 editions were the first two Rogue Invitationals held outside the United States, and between them sold 30,000 tickets. Visitors travelled from 40 countries, and research by Visit Aberdeenshire found the two events generated a combined £7 million in visitor spend for the local economy.

The 2025 event drew more than 5 million live stream viewers and 12 million social media impressions.

Rob Wicks, Managing Director of P&J Live, said: "The Rogue Invitational has been an outstanding event to host for the past two years, so to have it back for a third successive year is very special. We are honoured to again be the host venue, we very much enjoy working with the team from Rogue in our unique venue, and our in-house expertise is on hand to deliver the event's complex requirements."

With no successor UK venue confirmed and Rogue explicitly framing this as a farewell to Aberdeen, the October 2026 event is almost certainly the last time British fans will be able to attend the Rogue Invitational without international travel — at least for the foreseeable future.