Some summers you remember by the battles you walked away from. 2026 was shaping up to be one of those for North American Bladers the moment the Beyblade X Grand Prix schedule dropped — a run of qualifiers from Toronto to Texas to California, and a national stage that came down to one afternoon at the Mall of America.
A qualifier season built for everyone
The season kicked off July 25 at Vaughan Mills in Toronto. Run by Hasbro alongside Amazon, with ADK Emotions NY and T-Licensing in support, it split Bladers into two divisions — an 8–12 bracket and a 13+ open class — so veterans weren't the only ones having fun.
U.S. qualifiers followed through August: American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on August 1; Dezerland Park in Orlando on August 8; Galleria Dallas on August 15; and a California stop at Westfield Culver City on August 22 to close the run. Each venue capped its field at 128 competitors per division, with a lottery standing by for the days demand outran the seats.
The payoff came on September 5, when the U.S. National Grand Prix went down at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. Canada ran its own national at West Edmonton Mall on August 29. Winners from both walked away with the real prize: a spot at the BEYBLADE X GP FINAL, December 12–13 at ICONSIAM in Bangkok. That is the world stage in a literal sense — the official page describes it as the road to the All-Star stage.
What Anime Expo revealed along the way
Long before the malls filled up, Anime Expo (July 2–5 at the LA Convention Center) served as the season's opening act. TOMY's Beyblade X returned to the show floor for a third straight year at West Hall booth WH-1600, and it brought a full-fledged tournament along. The Beyblade X Anime Expo Cup ran Saturday, July 4, with free play all around and live battles against the Beyblade development team flown in from Japan. Fans could also take the stage against visiting expert Bladers for a shot at Beyblade X prizes.
The surprise of the weekend was a small bracket of Funko Pop! figures turned out for collecting — Jaxon, Multi, and Robin, plus a chase version of Jaxon that showed up at 1-in-6 odds for lucky pulls. For a brand that has shipped more than 560 million units worldwide, it was a reminder that Beyblade still knows how to draw a crowd.
Where the road leads next
With both nationals in the books, the coming weeks stay quiet on this side of the Pacific — until December, when Bangkok gets loud. Full schedule, rules, and participating locations live on the official page at beyblade.com/gpfinal2026.
Whether you made it onto the arena floor this year or cheered from the rail, one thing is clear: North America turned out. Now the world stage is waiting.