American Cup 2026: Gymnastics Stars Set to Compete in Mixed-Team Format Preview

Henderson, Nevada – The 2026 American Cup is set to return on Saturday, March 7th, at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada, offering a first appear at the mixed-team format that will be utilized at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Eight national teams will compete, featuring a total of forty-three gymnasts, including twelve Olympians.

Mixed-Team Competition and Participating Nations

The American Cup will showcase the mixed-team competition format, a modern addition to the Olympic program in 2028. Eight countries will participate: the United States, Japan, Brazil, China, Great Britain, Mexico, the Philippines, and Spain. The event will unfold over three rounds, with teams being eliminated until the final four battle for the medals.

Star Athletes to Watch

Leading the charge for the United States are Olympic champion Hezly Rivera and World and Olympic bronze medalist Asher Hong, both defending U.S. All-around champions. Rivera, a member of the gold medal-winning “Golden Girls” team at the 2024 Olympic Games, was the youngest athlete on Team USA at those Games and is also the 2025 U.S. National champion.

Japan will be represented by Hashimoto Daiki, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time World champion. Other notable athletes include Zhang Qingying of China (2025 world balance beam champion and all-around bronze medalist), Abigail Martin of Great Britain (world floor exercise bronze medalist and Paris Olympian), and Tsunogai Tomoharu of Japan (parallel bars silver medalist at the 2023 World Championships).

The U.S. Team also includes Tokyo Olympian Yul Moldauer, alongside up-and-coming talents Danila Leykin and Charleigh Bullock, both junior world medalists. Spain will be represented by Nicolau Mir, Joel Plata, and Alba Petisco, whereas Brazil will feature Diogo Soares.

U.S. Team’s Recent Successes

The U.S. Enters the competition as the defending World and Olympic women’s team gold medalists and men’s team bronze medalists. Japan boasts both titles on the men’s side.

Event Details

The 2026 American Cup will be held on Saturday evening at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada, with the 2026 Nastia Liukin Cup Presented by Ozone taking place earlier in the day.