Students can qualify for the 2026 International Geography Championships in a number of ways:
Within the USA (please see results linked here)
1. Students who finish in the top 1/3 of students competing at the National Championships of the National Geography Bee for any age division either in the 2024-25 or 2025-26 academic years.
2. Students who finish in the top 2/3 of students competing at the National Championships of the US Geography Championships for any age division either in the 2024-25 or 2025-26 academic years.
3. Students who finish in the top 1/4 of teams competing at the 2025 or 2026 National Geography Bowl for any age division.
4. Students who finish in the top 1/3 of students in an age division at any National Geography Bee Regional Tournament for any age division during either the 2024-25 or 2025-26 academic years.
5. Students who finish as the first or second student in an division at any National Geography Bee Regional Tournament, regardless of the size of that age division. If age divisions are consolidated, the student can qualify by placing as the first or second-ranked student in either the consolidated age division in which they play, or the age division to which their birthdate applies.
6. All students in 9th-12th grade who obtains a score of at least 75 on any version of the Varsity/Junior Varsity level National Geography Bee / US Geography Championships National Qualifying Exam during either the 2024-25 or 2025-26 academic years. All students in 7th or 8th grade who score 65 or higher on any version of these exams. All students in 6th grade and lower (who are age eligible) who score 55 or higher on any version of these exams.
Note: Students taking the exams in May or June are considered to be in the grade that they were during the academic year ending that spring, even if they have already moved into a higher grade once school or homeschooling finishes.
7. All students who medaled in any event at the 2018 International Geography Bee World Championships or 2022 or 2024 International Geography Championships are eligible to compete at the 2026 International Geography Championships as long as they meet age and grade level eligibility criteria.
8. Any student who makes the playoffs of the US Geography Bee at the 2025 or 2026 National Championships is eligible to compete at the 2026 International Geography Championships.
Outside the USA
1. Students who finish in the top 50% of students competing at Regional International Geography Bee Tournaments, or top 2/3 of students at the International Geography Bee Asian Championships, International Geography Bee European Championships or International Geography Bee Canadian Championships in the 2024-25 or 2025-26 academic years.
2. Students who finish in the top 25% within their age division for any particular version of the International Geography Bee Championships Qualifying Exam or of the ORQE exam among all students taking that version of the Exam – either at a particular site where it is offered, or across all sites in their region either in the 2024-25 or 2025-26 academic years. Students qualifying in any of these ways must still score at least 30 or higher to qualify (regardless of their position within their age division), however.
3. Students who obtain a score of at least 65 (if they are High School), 55 (if they are Middle School), or 45 (if they are Intermediate or Elementary) on any version of the Championships Qualifying Exam during either the 2024-25 or 2025-26 academic years.
4. At regional-level International Geography Bee tournaments, the top 50% of students in an age division qualify, unless this is held strictly at an intramural level, in which case, the winning student in each age division is the only one who would qualify outright.
5. Students who have ever competed for their country at the International Geography Olympiad (i.e. iGeo).
6. All students who medaled in any event at the 2018 International Geography Bee World Championships or 2022 or 2024 International Geography Championships are eligible to compete at the 2026 International Geography Championships as long as they meet age and grade level eligibility criteria.
7. Students who finish in the top 1/2 of teams competing at the 2025 or 2026 International Geography Bowl for any age division.