What is the Premier Series?

The Premier Series is the next step beyond the WNL World Championships, and takes place throughout the summer. The competition series features the top 25% of athletes from around the globe. This elite-level series will push athletes to their limits, challenging them on courses designed by the best course designers, featuring the most insane new obstacles.

The Premier Series will be hosted at gyms around the world, searching for the top athletes to qualify for the Premier Series Finals, which will be held at Ascend on Nov. 20-22, 2026.

Divisions

The Premier Series is an elite competition series for all ages! Athletes from all eight divisions from standard WNL competitions will be able to qualify to compete in the Premier Series.

Here’s how the current WNL age divisions will qualify to the various divisions hosted at Premier Series competitions:

• Kids 6-8
• Mature Kids 9-10
• Preteens 11-12
• Teens 13-14
• Young Adults 15-17, Adults 18-39, Masters 40+ (all one division, competing together as Amateur 15+)
• Elite 13+

Athletes age will be determined by the athletes age on Jan 1, 2026. This is the same cutoff as the World Ninja League’s Season 11.

Eligibility

Premier Series competitions seek to showcase the best athletes in the ninja community. This exciting new series will only be open to a select group of elite athletes. Focusing on this elite field will provide top ninjas the platform they need to promote their abilities. Top athletes will be invited to attend based on their performance across various ninja competitions. Here’s how you can qualify:

• Standings: Athletes who finish in the top 25% of their division from the athletes in their region in this year’s home region standings will be invited to compete in this year’s Premier Series. Invitations are exclusive to athletes in the top 25%.
• Season 11 World Championships: Athletes who finish in the top 25% of their division when compared to the other athletes competing from their region at this year’s Tier 1 World Championship will be invited to compete in this year’s Premier Series. Invitations will be exclusive to athletes in the top 25%. This is true even if the athletes in the top 25% have previously been invited because they were in the top 25% of their home region standings. If a region contains a division that holds less than 16 athletes, the top 50% of athletes will be invited.
• Invitation: The World Ninja League is teaming up with various leagues and organizations worldwide to ensure the top athletes from each corner of the globe are eligible to compete. Elite athletes across all age divisions may receive invitations to compete based on recommendations from host facilities, national governing bodies and other similar organizations.

Rules Format/Seeding

Placement Course

• The placement course is a preliminary course designed to determine the run order for the longer, more intense Challenge Course.
• On this course, ninjas are timed and ranked based on their performance using the WNL’s flow course format, and the results are used to determine their starting position in the subsequent Challenge Course.
• The better a runner performs on the placement course, the more advantageous their starting position will be in the main event.
• The placement course will be designed to test a ninja’s speed and efficiency on a short course consisting of 5-7 obstacles with a relatively short time cap.

Challenge Course

• The challenge course is the centerpiece of any Premier Series Qualifier, with obstacles designed to test the abilities of the best ninjas out there.
• Athletes will have the opportunity to run the course once, with two retry attempts allowed throughout their attempt.
• However, if an athlete fails an obstacle, they will only be allowed to use one retry attempt on that particular obstacle.
• An athlete’s overall time on the course is measured, accounting for any pauses taken during retry attempts. The course will be reset for each retry attempt, and the timer will be paused during rest. Once the ref gives their countdown (signaling the course is reset) the timer resumes, ensuring a fair and consistent experience for all runners.
• The course is designed with obstacles that require skill and strategy to navigate, and the challenge is heightened by the limited number of retry attempts.

Cash Prizes and Medals

Cash and/or medals will be distributed across all divisions. Exact cash distribution and amounts will be based on number of athletes registered.

Tentative Schedule

Final schedule may vary based on number of athletes signed up. Final schedule will be emailed out the week of the competition.

Saturday, Sep. 19

Kids 6-8 Male/Female

• Placement Course & Challenge Course Rules/Walkthrough: 9:00 – 9:30am
• Placement Course Runs: 9:50 – 10:10am
• Challenge Course Runs: 10:15 – 11:30am
• Awards: 11:40 – 11:50am

Mature Kids 9-10 Male/Female

• Placement Course & Challenge Course Rules/Walkthrough: 12:00 – 12:30pm
• Placement Course Runs: 12:50 – 1:10pm
• Challenge Course Runs: 1:15 – 2:30pm
• Awards: 2:40 – 2:50pm

Preteens 11-12 Male/Female

• Placement Course & Challenge Course Rules/Walkthrough: 3:00 – 3:30pm
• Placement Course Runs: 3:50 – 4:10pm
• Challenge Course Runs: 4:20 – 5:35pm
• Awards: 5:45 – 5:55pm

Redemption Time for Saturday Athletes Only: 6:00-6:45pm

Sunday, Sep. 20

Amateur 15+ Male/Female

• Placement Course & Challenge Course Rules/Walkthrough: 10:00 – 10:30am
• Placement Course Runs: 10:50 – 11:00am
• Challenge Course Runs: 11:05 – 11:35am
• Awards: 11:40 – 11:50am

Teens Male/Female

• Placement Course & Challenge Course Rules/Walkthrough: 12:10 – 12:40pm
• Placement Course Runs: 1:00 – 1:20pm
• Challenge Course Runs: 1:25 – 2:20pm
• Awards: 2:30 – 2:40pm

Elite Male/Female

• Placement Course & Challenge Course Rules/Walkthrough: 3:00 – 3:30pm
• Placement Course Runs: 3:50 – 4:00pm
• Challenge Course Runs: 4:10 – 5:00pm
• Awards: 5:10 – 5:15pm

Redemption Time for All Athletes: 5:15-6:15pm

Registration

Event cost is $115 base price, or $135 including the photo package. Photo package will include digital copies of photos taken during your run.