The Weekend Ahead: May 22-24, 2026

Highlighting competitions from around the world of speedcubing.

Welcome back to The Weekend Ahead! This week gives us a packed Memorial Day weekend slate, with two major U.S. regional championships and another stop in Poland’s Cube Factory League. We’re going from Zgierz to Iowa to California, with some huge 3x3 fields and plenty of title races along the way.

Cube Factory League Zgierz 2026

We’ll start in Zgierz, Poland, where Cube Factory League Zgierz 2026 runs May 23-24 at Hala im. Zgierskich Olimpijczyków. This is the third competition of the 2026 Cube Factory League season and the first-ever CFL event held in Zgierz.

This one has real headline power, too. Teodor Zajder & Tymon Kolasiński, the current No. 1 and No. 2 3x3 solvers in Europe, are both competing.

Any time those two are in the same field, the main event becomes appointment viewing. Tymon has been one of the most consistent elite solvers in the world for years, while Teodor has been on a tear recently, including his world record single and European record average. If you’re looking for the European 3x3 race to keep an eye on, this is the one.

90-Time World Record Holder, Max Park. Photo courtesy of Guinness Records.

West Coast Cubing Western Championship 2026

Next, we head west to Riverside, California, for West Coast Cubing Western Championship 2026. The competition runs May 23-25 at the Riverside Convention Center, with a 370-competitor limit.

That makes Western Championship one of the largest competitions of the year in North America. Based on competitor limit, it is currently the second-largest competition in North America and third-largest in the Americas this year, behind only NAC and SAC.

The event also has a championship structure to match its size. The highest-placing competitor from the Western Region in each event will be recognized as the Western Champion, creating title races across the full schedule.

The 3x3 field shifted after Matty Hiroto Inaba withdrew, but it still includes Max Park, Brendyn Dunagan, Zerui Cheng, and Dylan Miller. Miller cannot win the Western Championship title because he is not from the Western Region, but he can still qualify for and compete in the WCA Head-to-Head Final.

That Head-to-Head Final is one of the biggest reasons to watch. Western Championship will use the new WCA 3x3 Head-to-Head format, adding a direct-matchup layer to one of the deepest fields of the weekend.

The event also looks like one of the most spectator-friendly competitions on the slate. Spectators can attend for free, no registration or check-in required, and the competition will be broadcast on SpeedcubingTV and SpeedCubeShop’s YouTube channel.

With three days, 370 competitors, regional titles, a live broadcast, and a 3x3 Head-to-Head Final, Western Championship should be one of the main events to follow this weekend.

CubingUSA Heartland Championship 2026

Finally, we head to West Des Moines, Iowa, for CubingUSA Heartland Championship 2026. The competition runs May 22-24 at the MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex, with a 300-competitor limit.

This is the 2026 Heartland Regional Championship, supported by the Midwest Cubing Association and CubingUSA. Competitors from Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota are eligible for the title of Heartland Champion, so this one has real regional stakes.

Last year’s Heartland Championship was won by Zeke Mackay, who took 3x3 with a 6.37 average, ahead of Simon Kellum and Jacob Nokes. Mackay does not appear to be registered this year, which opens the door for a new 3x3 Heartland champion.

That leaves Brian Johnson as the top name in the field, with Ryan Pilat and Carter Kucala also among the fastest registered competitors. Pilat adds major speed to the overall field, but the Heartland title race will come down to eligible regional competitors. Without the defending champion in attendance, the 3x3 title feels wide open.

And because the Midwest knows how to keep things fun, Saturday night will also feature unofficial events, including Parent/Child Team Blind and 2-Man Mini-Guildford. That feels very on-brand for a regional championship: serious titles during the day, chaos after hours.