Rogue Invitational 2026: Hooper, Stoltman and Bjornsson lead the field in Aberdeen
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Event | 2026 Rogue Invitational |
| Dates | October 23–25, 2026 |
| Venue | P&J Live, Aberdeen, Scotland |
| Fields | 10 strongmen, 10 strongwomen |
| Defending champions | Mitchell Hooper, Inez Carrasquillo |
| WSM champions entered | 5 |
The Rogue Invitational returns to P&J Live in Aberdeen for 2026, running October 23–25. Mitchell Hooper and Inez Carrasquillo, who both defended their titles there in 2025, are back to try for a third straight win.
The strongman field
| Athlete | Country | Best credential |
|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Hooper | Canada | WSM 2023, 2026; Rogue 2024, 2025 |
| Tom Stoltman | Scotland | WSM 2021, 2022, 2024 |
| Trey Mitchell | USA | 2nd at Rogue 2025; 3rd at WSM 2026 |
| Austin Andrade | USA | 2nd at the 2026 Arnold Strongman Classic |
| Hafthór Björnsson | Iceland | WSM 2018; won the 2026 Giants Live Strongman Open |
| Rayno Nel | South Africa | WSM 2025; 2nd at WSM 2026 |
| Martins Licis | USA | WSM 2019 |
| Ondřej Fojtů | Czech Republic | Won the 2026 Strongman Classic |
| Thomas Evans | USA | 5th= at Rogue 2025 |
| Paddy Haynes | United Kingdom | 2nd at the 2026 Strongman Classic |
The strongwoman field
Olga Liashchuk, Inez Carrasquillo, Angelica Jardine, Grace Hilbourne, Lucy Underdown, Andrea Thompson, Katie Blunden, Rebecca Roberts, Jennifer Lyle and Jackie Osczevski. Carrasquillo beat Liashchuk by 6.5 points in 2025, with Jardine third.
2025 result
| Place | Strongman | Points | Strongwoman | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mitchell Hooper | 52 | Inez Carrasquillo | 50 |
| 2 | Trey Mitchell | 45.5 | Olga Liashchuk | 43.5 |
| 3 | Tom Stoltman | 38.5 | Angelica Jardine | 39 |
Our take
Five World's Strongest Man winners in a ten-man field — Hooper, Stoltman, Björnsson, Licis and Nel — makes this the deepest strongman contest of the year. Hooper is the favourite on recent form, but Nel won three of five events in the WSM final in April, and the Rogue’s heavy implements suit his raw strength.
Our pick: Hooper, narrowly, with Nel second and Fojtů — the breakout athlete of 2026 — as the dark horse for the podium. In the women’s contest, Carrasquillo and Liashchuk should fight for the title again.
We will publish full results after the event on our Rogue Invitational results page.
What makes the Rogue different
The Rogue Invitational is run by Rogue Fitness, which manufactures much of the equipment used in strongman. That gives the event unusual control over its implements and some of the biggest prize money in the sport, and it attracts nearly every top athlete each year. Events are announced in advance and favour all-round strength rather than one specialism.
Our predictions
| Place | Strongman pick | Strongwoman pick |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mitchell Hooper | Inez Carrasquillo |
| 2 | Rayno Nel | Olga Liashchuk |
| 3 | Ondřej Fojtů | Angelica Jardine |
Our reasoning: Hooper has won the last two Rogue Invitationals and the last four Arnold Strongman Classics, and the Rogue’s mix of events rewards his consistency. Nel is the athlete most likely to beat him; Fojtů, the breakout star of 2026, is our podium dark horse ahead of Tom Stoltman and Trey Mitchell.