What are the IPF World Championships?
Powerlifting's world titles, run by the International Powerlifting Federation — men since 1973, women since 1980. Since 2012 the flagship has been split in two: the World Open Classic Championships each June for raw lifting, and the World Open Equipped Championships each November for lifting in supportive suits. Bench-press, masters and junior world championships run separately.[1] [2]
| Season | Pool / Format | Host cities |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Classic — 25 world records; 355 athletes, 59 nations | Druskininkai (LTU) — relocated from Dubai |
| 2025 | Classic — 47 world records broken | Chemnitz (GER) |
| 2024 | Classic | Druskininkai (LTU) |
| 2023 | Classic | St Julian's (MLT) |
| 2022 | Classic | Sun City (RSA) |
| 2026 | — scheduled: World Open Equipped | Istanbul (TUR), 9–15 November |
Recent World Open Classic editions unless marked otherwise.
How is it contested — and who 'wins'?
Squat, bench press and deadlift, three attempts each, with the best total taking the class. There are eight bodyweight classes per sex, so a single championship crowns sixteen individual world champions — there is no overall winner. Separate men's and women's national team titles are scored from each nation's five best-placed lifters.[2] [3]
How do lifters qualify?
There is no qualifying tournament. Entry is by national federation nomination only, through the IPF's nominations system, capped at eight lifters per nation per sex and no more than two in any one class. A lifter must be a member in good standing of an IPF-affiliated federation, be in the WADA testing pool, and meet their own federation's qualifying total — which each member federation sets independently, usually at its national championships.[2] [3]
Recent championships
Chemnitz 2025 saw 47 world records broken; Druskininkai 2026 — relocated from Dubai at short notice — drew 355 athletes from 59 nations and produced 25 more, including Tiffany Chapon's 170.5 kg world-record squat at 47 kg and the heaviest deadlift ever performed by a woman in IPF competition, 292.5 kg by Britain's Aquinn Onuoha. Women made up more than 48 percent of that field, closer to parity than any previous edition.[4]
References
- IPF — International Powerlifting Federation. Accessed August 2026.
- IPF — championships calendar. Accessed August 2026.
- IPF — championships results. Accessed August 2026.
- IPF — closing statement, 2026 World Open Classic Championships. Accessed August 2026.