How the Event Split Works: What to Know Before the October NAC

The first Elite and Challenger split happens Sept. 24. Here's exactly how fields are set, how fencers move up, and one change to how waitlists are ordered.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The October NAC brings the first event split under the new structure that sees Division I and Cadet competition split into two tiers: Elite and Challenger. (At the November NAC, that’ll happen in every event: Cadet, Junior and Division I.)

So who will fence in each tier? Here's what happens, and when.

For national tournaments with Elite and Challenger tiers, the split cutoff is 15 days before the first day of the Tournament. For the October and November NACs, the split cutoffs are as below:

• October NAC: Sept. 24
• November NAC: Nov. 5

On these dates, in the Cadet, Junior and Division I categories, any event with more than 168 entries splits into two tiers.

Note: We'll be conducting some double-checks of the system during this first run, and so folks may see the Registration page come offline for a period of time that day while we conduct these to make sure everything is correct before it's posted.

Elite is capped at 112 fencers in each category. Spots are allocated from the Unified Points List (UPL) as follows. Note, there may be extenuating circumstances where this number is exceeded to include athletes whose participation is important for the integrity and quality of the event field. This may be done at the discretion of USA Fencing and with attention paid to possible impacts on the competition schedule.

• Elite: Top 72 ranked Senior Unified Points List (UPL) holders, top 24 ranked Junior UPL holders, top 16 ranked Cadet UPL holders as of the Event Split cutoff
• Challenger: All remaining registered fencers

• Elite: Top 88 Junior UPL holders, top 24 Cadet UPL holders as of the Event Split cutoff
• Challenger: All remaining registered fencers

• Elite: Top 112 Cadet UPL holders as of the Event Split cutoff
• Challenger: All remaining registered fencers

When a fencer qualifies on more than one list OR when a fencer in the eligible group for an Elite position is not registered, that doesn't leave a gap. Once all Elite positions have been awarded according to the criteria above, in Division I, the spot passes to the next highest ranked Senior UPL holder. In Junior, it passes to the next highest ranked Junior UPL holder. In Cadet, spots fill in rank order until the 112 limit is reached. 

NOTE: Nationality does not play a role in priority by ranking. We will place fencers in the Elite tier by rank, regardless of representing country.

The split isn't the last word. After fields are set, fencers can still move into Elite as spots open up. This move can happen as late as 5pm, local time, the night before the event. This means it’s extremely important fencers have opted in or out for being moved up from Challenger, even after the split! Your current selection can be verified by going to the tournament registration page.

When a spot becomes available in Elite, it goes to the highest ranked fencer from either the waitlist or the Challenger tier that opted into being moved to the Elite field. If there's no waitlist, it goes to the highest ranked fencer in Challenger. It is important that you either opt yes or opt no to be moved into the elite field. Only fencers that opt yes will be moved after the split. Fencers that opt no, will not be moved.

An example: the fencer at the top of the waitlist is ranked No. 1 on the Unified Points List, and the highest ranked fencer in Challenger is No. 113. The waitlist fencer moves into Elite, while the athlete in the Challenger tier remains in that field.

For the October NAC we are planning to expand the DVIME overall field. This will take form in added spots to the Challenger tier, and fencers will be added into the competition, in order by date and time stamp, from the waitlist. This will happen before the event split.

The reasoning is straightforward: we are doing our best to allow for the top fencers to be included in the field, particularly for Elite. Given entry was first-come, first-served for this tournament, this change also will afford an opportunity for more athletes to fence, where the schedule can accommodate it - a win for everyone!

Beginning with February NAC registration, we'll introduce measures to give top ranked fencers a chance to register first in CDT, JNR and DVI, similar to the priority entry window used for capped events in the 2025-26 season. More info on that to come soon!

The full points and events structure, including the points tables, eligibility thresholds and the Elite and Challenger format, can be found here.

Complete rules and the 2026-27 Athlete Handbook are available here.

Questions? Email nationalevents@usafencing.org.