15:00 · 55 min
60 → 30Preliminaries
- 2 heats of 30L + 30F
- 7 songs per heat
- 2 partner switches per song, 70 s each
- Up to 21 different partners
- Judges split by role: 5 scores per dancer, majority 3
- Each judge sees each dancer for49 s
For organizers
Plan your format
Tell us how many dancers you expect, how big your floor is and how many judges you have. You get the rounds, the heats, the songs and the timing, worked out with the same rules as the World Cup Finals.
60→30→15→6
Dancers per role in each round, ranked separately for leaders and followers.
- Rounds
- 4
- Duration
- 2 h 46 min
- Ends about
- 17:46
- Songs
- 37
The same rounds and heats work from 46 to 60 dancers per role. One more dancer per role and the day changes shape.
16:00 · 28 min
30 → 15Quarterfinals
- 1 heat of 30L + 30F
- 7 songs per heat
- 2 partner switches per song, 70 s each
- Up to 21 different partners
- Judges split by role: 5 scores per dancer, majority 3
- Each judge sees each dancer for49 s
16:33 · 28 min
15 → 6Semifinal
- 1 heat of 15L + 15F
- 7 songs per heat
- 1 partner switch per song, 105 s each
- Up to 14 different partners
- Every judge scores both roles: 10 scores per dancer, majority 6
- Each judge sees each dancer for49 s
17:05 · 41 min
6 → podiumFinal
- Phase 1
Finalists with finalists
The 6 leaders and 6 followers dance together: 3 songs, 1 switch per song, so every finalist meets every finalist of the other role.
The judges watch from outside.
- Phase 2
Followers with the leader judges
The 6 follower finalists dance with 5 leader judges: 3 songs, 1 switch per song. With fewer judges than finalists, 1 finalist waits each partnership.
The leader finalists sit out and watch the followers they have just danced with, then rank them. The other judges watch from outside.
- Phase 3
Leaders with the follower judges
The 6 leader finalists dance with 5 follower judges: 3 songs, 1 switch per song. With fewer judges than finalists, 1 finalist waits each partnership.
The follower finalists sit out and watch the leaders they have just danced with, then rank them. The other judges watch from outside.
9 songs in all. The 10 judges watch all three phases and score only at the end. Each finalist also ranks the 6 finalists of the other role, so every dancer gets 16 votes and needs a majority of 9.
Judges
We recommend 14 judges for 60 dancers per role: 8 for a small event, 10 for most qualifiers, 14 or more above 60 per role. In the early rounds they split in half, one half on each role.
- In the early rounds 5 judges watch the leaders and 5 the followers, so every dancer gets 5 scores.
- When a vote can split in half, the head judge of the role decides. Name one per role before the competition.
- For 60 dancers per role we recommend 14 judges.
Music
The competition plays 37 songs. Have 49 ready, so no song repeats inside a round and the DJ has spares for a heat that restarts. Keep the songs between 3 and 4 minutes, or change the song length above.
Which music to play: the song guide of the World Cup FinalsHow the numbers are worked out
- Songs. A judge needs about 50 seconds per dancer. In a heat of 30 leaders that is 30 × 50 s = 25 min, so 7 songs of 210 s. When every judge scores both roles, they watch twice as many dancers, so the heat needs twice the songs.
- Heats. As few as possible: judges compare dancers best side by side. A round splits only when the floor cannot hold everyone or a heat would need more than 8 songs. Heats of one round are scored as one ranking, so it never matters which heat a dancer lands in.
- Cuts. Each round keeps about half. When a deeper cut (to about a third) saves a whole round, the plan takes it, and the final always comes from 16 dancers or fewer.
- Partners. Two switches per song while judges split by role, so one difficult partnership never defines a round. One switch from the semifinal: the level is higher, and longer partnerships give dancers time to connect with each other.
These are the rules of the World Cup Finals 2026 (90 → 45 → 16 → 6). Across the 119 qualifiers run on the platform, rounds kept 40 to 50% of the dancers, finals had 5 or 6 per role, and organizers split a round once it passed about 30 dancers per role.
Host a competition
Ready to run it for real? See the partner tracks, the conditions and how to apply.