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The playoffs begin Sept. 12
2026 supermotocross world championship preview
With the AMA Pro Motocross Championship decided, the focus now shifts to the 2026 SuperMotocross World Championship. Now in its fourth running, the SMX puts the combined best of the Monster Energy Supercross and Pro Motocross season in a three-round playoff for the ultimate bragging rights.
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Supermotocross incorporates the results from 17 rounds of Supercross racing, 11 rounds of Pro Motocross, to seed the three-round playoffs. Here’s what you need to know heading into the first playoff round, September 12 at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
Who qualifies for SuperMotocross?
2026 supermotocross world championship preview
Qualifying runs on a combined points tally accrued through both the Supercross and Pro Motocross seasons. The top 20 in combined points in each of the 450 and 250 divisions automatically qualify and are seeded into the SMX field. An additional two spots are decided by a Wild Card race featuring riders that placed 21st through 30th. Any racer outside the top 30 who won a Supercross Main Event or a Pro Motocross moto is also eligible to contest the Wild Card race.
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What is the points scoring system?
2026 supermotocross world championship preview
Once the seeding is decided, the riders’ season-long points are reset going into the playoffs. The top seed restarts with 25 points, the second seed with 22, third with 20, fourth with 18, then single-point steps down through the 20th seed who starts with 2 points. Anyone outside the top 20 begins the playoffs at zero.
Playoff 1 uses the same structure as a regular Supercross or Pro Motocross race, with 25 points for first, down to 1 point for 21st. Playoff 2 pays double points and the SMX World Championship Final pays triple. As a result, the format keeps the title live until the last round.
Point System | |||
Pos. | Playoff 1 | Playoff 2 | Final |
1 | 25 | 50 | 75 |
2 | 22 | 44 | 66 |
3 | 20 | 40 | 60 |
4 | 18 | 36 | 54 |
5 | 17 | 34 | 51 |
6 | 16 | 32 | 48 |
7 | 15 | 30 | 45 |
8 | 14 | 28 | 42 |
9 | 13 | 26 | 39 |
10 | 12 | 24 | 36 |
11 | 11 | 22 | 33 |
12 | 10 | 20 | 30 |
13 | 9 | 18 | 27 |
14 | 8 | 16 | 24 |
15 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
16 | 6 | 12 | 18 |
17 | 5 | 10 | 15 |
18 | 4 | 8 | 12 |
19 | 3 | 6 | 9 |
20 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
21 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
22 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What’s the format of each round?
2026 supermotocross world championship preview
Each round runs a two-moto format for both the 450 and 250 classes. Motos are 20 minutes plus one lap, with Olympic scoring determining the overall finishing position, and championship points awarded per that order.
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How much Is The prize money?
The season-long purse totals $10 million spread across the 31 rounds (17 SX, 11 MX and three playoff rounds), but the SMX playoffs are where the big payouts begin. The 450cc champion takes home a $1 million payout, while the 250cc champion collects $500,000. The rest of the purse is divvied up among the rest of the top 22 finishers.
450 SMX Payout | 250 SMX Payout | ||
Pos. | Payout | Pos. | Payout |
1 | $1,000,000 | 1 | $500,000 |
2 | $500,000 | 2 | $250,000 |
3 | $250,000 | 3 | $150,000 |
4 | $200,000 | 4 | $100,000 |
5 | $150,000 | 5 | $50,000 |
6 | $135,000 | 6 | $25,000 |
7 | $120,000 | 7 | $18,000 |
8 | $100,000 | 8 | $17,000 |
9 | $90,000 | 9 | $16,000 |
10 | $75,000 | 10 | $15,000 |
11 | $50,000 | 11 | $14,000 |
12 | $35,000 | 12 | $13,000 |
13 | $34,000 | 13 | $12,000 |
14 | $33,000 | 14 | $11,000 |
15 | $32,000 | 15 | $10,000 |
16 | $31,000 | 16 | $9,000 |
17 | $30,000 | 17 | $8,000 |
18 | $29,000 | 18 | $7,000 |
19 | $28,000 | 19 | $6,000 |
20 | $27,000 | 20 | $5,000 |
21 | $26,000 | 21 | $3,000 |
22 | $25,000 | 22 | $2,000 |
Total: | $3,000,000 | Total: | $1,241,000 |
Who are the top contenders?
2026 supermotocross world championship preview
Jett Lawrence enters as the reigning 450cc SMX champion, while Jo Shimoda defends the 250cc crown. The 450 field is stacked with the usual heavy hitters, among them newly-crowned 450MX Champion Hunter Lawrence, 450SX Champion Ken Roczen, Chase Sexton, Cooper Webb, Jorge Prado, and, in what will be his final competition before retirement, Eli Tomac. The 250 grid, meanwhile, features 250SX West Champion Haiden Deegan, Levi Kitchen, Shimoda and 250SX East and 250MX Champion Cole Davis leading a young, fast pack.
2026 supermotocross world championship preview
What is the 2026 SuperMotocross schedule?
The 2026 playoffs run in September across three rounds. Playoff 1 will be held at Columbus, Ohio’s Historic Crew Stadium on Sept. 12. then moves Los Angeles’ Dignity Health Sports Park in on Sept. 19 for Playoff 2. The SuperMotocross World Championship will then be decided on Sept. 26 at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale, Missouri.
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All three rounds of the SMX playoff will be streamed online at https://www.smxvideopass.com.
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