MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – MARCH 07: Morgan Hurd of the United States competes on the beam during the 2020 American Cup at Fiserv Forum on March 07, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
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‘Most Prestigious Gymnastics Competition On U.S. Soil’ is back. USA Gymnastics announced Monday that the American Cup will return to the organization’s competition calendar for the first time since 2020.
The event will be held on March 7 at the Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada.
Last held in 2020 – just days before the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdown – the American Cup had been a fixture in USA Gymnastics for years. The event was first held in 1976, when a packed Madison Square Garden watched as Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci delivered a 10.0 to win the first women’s all-around title.
Over the years, many international gymnastics greats claimed an American Cup title, including Olympic gold medalists Simone Biles, Bart Conner, Gabby Douglas, Oleg Verniaev, Vitaly Scherbo, Nastia Liukin, Fabian Hambuechen, and Shawn Johnson.
Gymnastics: American Cup: Romania Nadia Comaneci in action during Women’s Floor Exercise competition at Madison Square Garden. Artistic Gymnastics World Cup.New York, NY 3/28/1976CREDIT: Jerry Cooke (Photo by Jerry Cooke /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)(Set Number: X20381 TK2 R1 F18 )
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Americans Morgan Hurd and Sam Mikulak won the 2020 all-around titles, and the pair will remain the last individual all-around winners in the competition’s long history. The event’s resurrection in 2026 comes with a twist: a new format.
Excluding the 2005 edition (when organizers awarded individual event titles), the event has operated exclusively as an individual all-around competition, comprised of eight men and eight women (two American, six international).
Mixed-Team Format Meets American Cup
In what USA Gymnastics describes as a “sneak peek into the LA28 Olympics,” the American Cup will now function as a mixed team event.
The IOC announced the shocking debut of a mixed team event at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics earlier this year. “Women and men will compete together for a spot on the podium,” LA2028 organizers stated.
USA Gymnastics echoed the sentiments from LA2028 Olympic organizers in Monday’s announcement regarding the American Cup.
“We are thrilled to bring back (the) American Cup in a new format,” USA Gymnastics Chief Programs Officer Stefanie Korepin said.
“Mixed team competition brings an added level of excitement, and with it now on the Olympic schedule, 2026 will be a great opportunity to generate interest and excitement for the new version of a classic event with the American Cup.”
According to USA Gymnastics, the “sneak peek” mixed team event will work as follows: “teams from eight countries will be composed of men’s and women’s gymnasts” (in line with the American Cup’s precedent).
“Athletes from each gender will perform on select apparatus, with combined scores determining team winners.”
USA Gymnastics stated that the detailed competition format will be “finalized in the coming weeks.” Confirmation of the U.S. and international rosters is forthcoming.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolineprice/2025/11/17/the-most-prestigious-gymnastics-competition-on-us-soil-is-back–with-a-twist/
