Are you planning to watch the 2026 Arnold Classic? Here is the complete guide on everything you need to know.

The 2026 Arnold Sports Festival is held from March 5–8 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. Everything you need to see about the event, including watching the main event, the Arnold Classic, is available on the official website.

The 2026 Arnold Classic is one of the biggest bodybuilding events of the year, and one of the key events of the Arnold Sports Festival. The competition celebrates different strength and fitness sports, including bodybuilding, strongman, powerlifting, and weightlifting.

The Arnold Classic isn’t a single contest; it features several divisions, including:

• Arnold Classic Men’s Open Bodybuilding
• Classic Physique
• Men’s Physique
• Bi***
• Wellness
• Fitness
• The Arnold Strongman Classic
• Amateur bodybuilding

How to watch the 2026 Arnold Classic?

If you want to watch the event, you can access the livestream available on the official Arnold Sports Festival website.

Here is how to do it:

1. Open the official Arnold Sports Festival website.
2. Click on the livestream section.
3. Select the day and session (prejudging or finals) you want to watch. Enjoy live coverage.

Details on whether the livestream will be free or a pay-per-view are usually announced closer to the event. The show has often been available for free, thanks to sponsor support or via a paid stream that also provides extra features like replays and extended coverage.

You can watch:

• Full coverage of the Arnold Classic prejudging
• Arnold Classic finals broadcasts
• Arnold Strongman Classic coverage
• On-demand replays after the livestream

If you’re in a different time zone or unable to watch the livestream, you can still catch the replay. It will be available for a limited time after the livestream ends.

Full Schedule:

Friday, March 6, 2026 - Prejudging

Midday Session (12:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET)

Events:

• Classic Physique
• Fitness
• Wellness International

Evening Session (7:00 PM – 9:30 PM ET)

• Arnold Classic Men’s Open 

The Men’s Open prejudging is one of the most anticipated events of the entire festival. That's because during this round, judges make their initial comparisons for the Arnold Classic main event, giving fans an early sense of where their favorite competitor stands.

Saturday, March 7, 2026 

Prejudging (10:00 AM – 1:00 PM ET)

• Men’s Physique 
• B****

Finals

(7:00 PM – 10:00 PM ET)

• Arnold Classic Men’s Open 
• Classic Physique 
• Fitness 
• B*****
• Wellness 
• Men’s Physique

The titles, including the main event of the entire festival, the Arnold Classic Men’s Open, are officially awarded on March 7. And in case you want to catch all the action live, tickets are available on the Arnold Sports Festival website.

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Written by

Ruwa Javed

Edited by

Joyita Das