Junior Selection Procedures
In order to be eligible for the 2026 USA Judo Junior and Cadet Pan American/Oceanian Championships Team and/or the Cadet World Championships Team and/or the IJF Junior World Championships Team, athletes must meet the following criteria:
- Must have been born 2009-2011 if competing under the Cadet division.
- Must have been born 2006-2011 if competing under the Junior division.
- Must be a United States citizen, unless they meet the criteria of the International Judo Federation’s (IJF) refugee program and are currently approved with proof of documentation/acceptance from the IJF to participate in this program. Please provide a copy of the documents toalex.bates@usajudo.us.
- Athletes currently approved under the IJF refugee program must have also followed the same steps above to earn their spot on the 2026 Cadet Pan American/Oceanian Championships Team and/or 2026 Junior Pan American/Oceanian Championships Team and/or 2025 Cadet World Championships Team and/or 2025 Junior World Championships Team.
- As long as an athlete meets the criteria of the International Judo Federation’s (IJF) refugee program and is currently approved with proof of documentation/acceptance from the IJF to participate in this program, then the athlete may compete at USA Judo-sanctioned point events and earn points on the USA Judo national roster.
- If you are a recent citizen or hold dual citizenship, you must have secured the necessary approvals to be eligible to represent the United States Internationally.
- Must be a current member in good standing with USA Judo.
Updated as of January 16, 2026
Team Selection for 2026 Cadet and Junior Pan American Championships
- Cadet Team: 10 male and 10 female athletes will represent USA Judo at the 2026 Cadet Pan American/Oceanian Championships.
- Junior Team: 9 male and 9 female athletes will represent USA Judo at the 2026 Junior Pan American/Oceanian Championships.
Direct Qualification Criteria
- The Cadet and IJF Junior Gold Medalists in each division at the 2026 USA Judo Youth National Championships will earn a direct qualifier spot in their respective divisions.
- Silver medalists will serve as first alternates.
- Bronze medalists will serve as second alternates.
- Fourth-place finishers will serve as third alternates.
Wild Card Selection
- Each team (Cadet and Junior) may include two male and two female wild card athletes per age group—four for Cadet and four for Junior—if applicable.
- Wild cards will be awarded to the two male and two female athletes not directly qualified with the highest point totals on the USA Judo National Cadet and IJF Junior rosters with results through March 15, 2026 (up to and including 2026 Youth Nationals).
- Points cannot be combined across divisions.
- No country may enter more than two athletes per division.
- Wild card athletes are not required to compete at the 2026 USA Judo Youth National Championships but must have at least 14 points on the respective roster with results through March 15, 2026 (up to and including 2026 Youth Nationals).
- Wild card selections cannot be in the same division.
If the PJC or IJF modifies the number of athletes allowed per tournament, USA Judo reserves the right to adjust these criteria accordingly.
Cadet World Championships (August 20-23, 2026 – Guayaquil, Ecuador)
Junior World Championships (October 22-25, 2026 – Amman, Jordan)
Updated as of April 16, 2026
A total of 10 male and 10 female athletes will represent USA Judo at the 2026 Cadet World Championships.
A total of 9 male and 9 female athletes will represent USA Judo at the 2026 Junior World Championships.
The Cadet and IJF Junior Gold Medalists in each division from the 2026 USA Judo Junior Olympic National Championships will be offered the direct qualifier spot in their division.
The silver medalists in each division will become the first alternates.
The third-place athletes in each division will become the second alternates.
The fourth-place athletes in each division will become the third alternates.
The teams (Cadet World and Junior World) will each also include two male and two female “wild cards” for both the Cadet and IJF-Junior ages (4 total wild cards for the Cadet World team and 4 total wild cards for the Junior World team), if applicable. Wild card selections are included within the total team size limits listed above and do not increase the maximum number of athletes per gender. These wild cards will be the two male and two female athletes not directly named to the team via direct qualification with the most points on the USA Judo National Cadet and IJF Junior rosters as of end of day June 20, 2026 (the rosters will only include points through the 2026 USA Judo Junior Olympic National Championships). It is not possible to combine points from multiple divisions and athletes may only qualify as a wild card in the weight division in which they earn points Wild card selections are subject to the IJF/PJC limit of no more than two athletes per weight division within the team quota.
To qualify as a wild card athlete, it is not mandatory to compete at the 2026 USA Judo Junior Olympic National Championships. The wild card members cannot be in the same division.
To qualify as a wild card athlete, one must have at least 12 points on the USA Judo National Cadet and IJF Junior rosters as of end of day June 20, 2026 (the rosters will only include points through the 2026 USA Judo Junior Olympic National Championships). If no athlete meets this minimum, the wild card spot will remain unfilled.
In compliance with the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) deadlines, under no circumstances may USA Judo modify the official team roster within three (3) weeks of the first day of competition.
If the PJC or IJF changes the number of athletes that can participate in these tournaments, then USA Judo reserves the right to adjust the criteria.
Updated as of April 13, 2026
A maximum of four (4) athletes per age and weight category will represent USA Judo at the 2026 U13 and U15 Pan American Championships.
Direct qualification will be awarded to the gold, silver, and bronze medalists in each U13 (Intermediate) and U15 (Juvenile) division at the 2026 USA Judo Junior Olympic National Championships. These athletes will be offered positions on the team in the division in which they earned their result.
A fourth position in each weight category may be allocated as a wild card. This position is included within the maximum team size and does not increase the total number of athletes permitted per gender. The wild card position will be offered to the highest-ranked athlete not already qualified through direct qualification, based on the USA Judo National U13 (Intermediate) and U15 (Juvenile) Ranking Lists as of the end of day on June 20, 2026. Ranking lists will only include points earned through the 2026 USA Judo Junior Olympic National Championships.
To be eligible for wild card selection, an athlete must have accumulated a minimum of ten (10) points on the applicable USA Judo National ranking list. Points may not be combined across multiple divisions, and athletes may only be considered in the weight category in which those points were earned. Participation in the 2026 USA Judo Junior Olympic National Championships is not required for wild card eligibility. If no eligible athlete meets the minimum point requirement, the fourth position will not be allocated.
Please note that the U13 female -28kg, U13 male -30kg and U15 male -35kg divisions are not official divisions recognized by the Pan American Judo Confederation (PJC) and those athletes are not eligible for direct qualification or wild card selection.
In compliance with the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) deadlines, under no circumstances may USA Judo modify the official team roster within three (3) weeks of the first day of competition.
All selections are subject to PJC regulations. USA Judo reserves the right to amend these selection criteria should the PJC qualification procedures be modified.