World Cube Association
Organization that regulates Rubik's Cube and other twisty puzzle competitions
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The World Cube Association (WCA) is the worldwide non-profit organization that regulates and holds competitions for mechanical puzzles that are operated by twisting groups of pieces, commonly known as twisty puzzles (a subcategory of combination puzzles). The most famous of those puzzles is the Rubik's Cube.[1][2][3] The WCA was founded by Ron van Bruchem of the Netherlands and Tyson Mao of the United States in 2004.[4][5] The goal of the World Cube Association is to have "more competitions in more countries with more people and more fun, under fair and equal conditions."[6] In 2017, they started work to become a non-profit organization and on 20 November 2017, the state of California accepted the initial registration of the World Cube Association.
Current WCA Logo, designed by Justin Eastman in January 2005 | |
| Abbreviation | WCA |
|---|---|
| Formation | 18 October 2004 |
| Founders | Ron van Bruchem, Tyson Mao |
| Type | Sport Association |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California, US |
| Membership | Free |
Official language | English |
| Blake Thompson, Nick Silvestri, Abdullah Gulab | |
Main organ | Board |
| Staff | 3 Board of Directors,
11 Committee Leaders (including Board members as a whole), 464 WCA Delegates (excluding trainees), 112 Committee Members |
| Website | worldcubeassociation |
The organization is run by the board members. It assigns different teams and committees as well as delegates who can organize official competitions. The presence of a delegate is required to make the competition official.[7] As of March 2026[update], over 282,000 people from around the world have participated in WCA competitions,[8] and over 16,600 competitions have been held.[9]
Board
Current WCA Board Members
- As of 2025[6]
The WCA Board is responsible for leading the organization as a whole, and fulfilling any duties not fulfilled by other Teams, Committees, and Councils
| Member | Country | Board member since |
|---|---|---|
| Blake Thompson | United States | July 2022[10] |
| Nick Silvestri | United States | June 2024[11] |
| Abdullah Gulab | Pakistan | July 2025[12] |
Former WCA Board Members
| Member | Country | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Gilles Roux | France | October 2004 – November 2008[13] |
| Ron van Bruchem | Netherlands | October 2004 – July 2018[14] |
| Masayuki Akimoto | Japan | September 2005[4] – January 2012 |
| Tyson Mao | United States | October 2004 – August 2013[15] |
| Sébastien Auroux | Germany | July 2012[16] – February 2014[17] |
| Tim Reynolds | United States | July 2012[16] – December 2014[18] |
| Natán Riggenbach | Peru | September 2013[19] – August 2015[20] |
| Olivér Perge | Hungary | March 2015 – February 2016, July 2017[21] |
| Pedro Santos Guimarães | Brazil | March 2015 – July 2018[14] |
| Ilkyoo Choi | South Korea | September 2013[19] – July 2017[21] |
| Chris Hardwick | United States | July 2016[22] – November 2017[23] |
| Luis J. Iáñez | Spain | July 2016[22] – July 2018[14] |
| Alberto Pérez de Rada Fiol | Spain | November 2017[23] – November 2019[24] |
| Chris Wright | United Kingdom | September 2018[25] – September 2020[26] |
| Bob Burton | United States | November 2017[23] - November 2021[27] |
| Henrik Buus Aagaard | Denmark | November 2019[24] - November 2021[27] |
| Saransh Grover | India | September 2020[28] - September 2022[29] |
| Callum James Goodyear | United Kingdom | September 2020[28] - January 2023[30] |
| Somya Srivastava | India | July 2022[10] - January 2024[31] |
| Michael Chai | United States | July 2023[32] - October 2024[33] |
| Ethan Pride | Australia | July 2019[34] - July 2025[35] |
| Dan Smith | United States | January 2025[36] - March 2026[37] |
| Kerrie Jarman | Australia | July 2023[38] - March 2026[39] |
Structure of the WCA
WCA Marketing Team
The WCA Marketing Team (WMT) is responsible for managing WCA relationships with external partners as well as working closely with the WCA Brand. They are currently seeking help with WCA Merchandise, Sponsorships, and Contracts.[40]
WCA Software Team
The WCA website is an open source project on GitHub.[41]
The Software Team develops new software for various tasks within the WCA whenever needed. Thus, they created an app simplifying translating the website, to engage more people translating into their language. On 21 August 2012 the WCA Workbook assistant was released.[42]
History
Pre-history (1999-2003)
In 1999, speedcubers gathered on the Internet via Rubik's Games, a computer game with an electronic version of the Rubik's Cube. Chris Hardwick from Raleigh, NC founded the Yahoo! Group "Speedsolvingrubikscube" and the Unofficial World Records, a place where cubers could post their personal best times. Ron van Bruchem started speedcubing.com together with his friend Ton Dennenbroek, an avid puzzle collector.[43]
Founding (2003-2004)
Because the cubers were living all over the world, they wanted to organize a competition at which they could all meet. In 2001, plans to organise a World Championship in New York were underway but it had to be called off due to safety concerns at the time. In 2003, under the guidance of Dan Gosbee, they successfully organized the Rubik's Cube World Championship in Toronto.[43] This first modern-age Rubik's Cube competition was a success, but there were many issues, largely due to the lack of any regulations. After the World Championship, van Bruchem and Tyson Mao started organizing competitions in the Netherlands and Germany, as well as at Caltech in the United States. In 2004, they started the World Cube Association, which today has held competitions in more than 100 countries.[43]
After the founding of the WCA, most competitions in the United States happened in prestigious colleges, though many happened in smaller high schools, middle schools, hotels, malls, amusement parks and other venues internationally. Some of the first official events included most current ones (see Events). However, 6x6, 7x7, and Skewb weren't events when the organization was founded, whereas Magic, Master Magic, and 3x3 with Feet were but are no longer events.[44]
Events
Currently, the WCA offers competitions in 17 events. Not all of them are offered at every competition, but they are usually all offered at national, continental, and global championships. The events are:[45][7]
- 3x3x3 Cube
- 2x2x2 Cube
- 4x4x4 Cube
- 5x5x5 Cube
- 6x6x6 Cube
- 7x7x7 Cube
- 3x3x3 Blindfolded (3BLD)
- 3x3x3 Fewest Moves (FMC)
- 3x3x3 One-Handed (OH)
- Megaminx
- Pyraminx
- Clock
- Skewb
- Square-1
- 4x4x4 Blindfolded (4BLD)
- 5x5x5 Blindfolded (5BLD)
- 3x3x3 Multi-Blind (MBLD)
Additionally, some events have had their official WCA event status removed. They are:[44][46]
- 3x3x3 Multi-Blind Old Style
- Magic
- Master Magic
- 3x3x3 With Feet
World Records
The following are the official speedcubing world records approved by the WCA as of 7 March 2026.[47]
Note: For averages of 5 solves, the best time and the worst time are dropped, and the mean of the remaining 3 solves is taken. For events where only 3 solves are done, the mean of all 3 is taken.
| Event | Type | Result | Person | Competition (Date(s)) | Round Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3x3x3 Cube | Single | 2.76 |  Teodor Zajder | GLS Big Cubes Gdańsk 2026 (7-8 February) | 4.99 / 5.36 / (5.76) / (2.76) / 5.34 |
| Average | 3.84 |  Xuanyi Geng (耿暄一) | Beijing Winter 2026 (10-11 January) | (5.09) / 3.96 / 3.71 / 3.84 / (3.37) | |
| 2x2x2 Cube | Single | 0.39 | Ziyu Ye (叶梓渝) | Hefei Open 2025 (25 October) | (1.94) / 1.31 / 1.38 / 1.46 / (0.39) |
| Average | 0.86 |  Sujan Feist | Kids America Christmas Clash OH 2025 (13 December) | 0.86 / 1.02 / (0.56) / (1.42) / 0.70 | |
| 4x4x4 Cube | Single | 15.18 | Tymon Kolasiński | Spanish Championship 2025 (6-8 December) | 20.27 / (22.54) / 19.57 / (15.18) / 20.34 |
| Average | 18.56 | Seoul Winter 2026 (17-18 January) | 19.16 / 18.01 / 18.51 / (21.64) / (16.09) | ||
| 5x5x5 Cube | Single | 30.45 | Rubik's WCA Asian Championship 2024 (1-4 November) | 35.94 / (42.62) / 36.67 / 40.82 / (30.45) | |
| Average | 34.31 | Rubik's WCA World Championship 2025 (3-6 July) | 36.46 / (36.67) / (31.67) / 33.11 / 33.36 | ||
| 6x6x6 Cube | Single | 57.69 | Max Park | Burbank Big Cubes 2025 (26 April) | 57.69 / 1:11.14 / 1:09.39 |
| Mean | 1:05.04 | Nub Open Trabuco Hills Fall 2025 (4 October) | 1:04.60 / 1:04.80 / 1:05.73 | ||
| 7x7x7 Cube | Single | 1:33.48 | Nub Open Trabuco Hills Fall 2025 (4 October) | 1:33.48 / 1:41.36 / 1:35.75 | |
| Mean | 1:36.86 | Nub Open Trabuco Hills Fall 2025 (4 October) | 1:33.48 / 1:41.36 / 1:35.75 | ||
| 3x3x3 Blindfolded | Single | 11.67 |  Charlie Eggins | Cubing at The Cube 2026 (9-11 January) | 14.34 / (DNF) / 13.95 / 13.85 / (11.67) |
| Mean | 14.05 | Tommy Cherry | Rubik's WCA European Championship 2024 (25-28 July) | 13.48 / 14.42 / 14.24 | |
| Charlie Eggins | Cubing at The Cube 2026 (9-11 January) | 14.34 / (DNF) / 13.95 / 13.85 / (11.67) | |||
| 3x3x3 Fewest Moves | Single | 16 |  Sebastiano Tronto | FMC 2019 (15–16 June) | 16 / 26 / 24 |
| Aedan Bryant | Ashfield Summer Challenge 2024 (23 June) | 26 / 16 / 26 | |||
| Levi Gibson | 26 / 16 / 24 | ||||
 Jacob Sherwen Brown | Rubik's UK Championship FMC 2024 (26 October) | 33 / 31 / 16 | |||
| Mean | 19.67 | Radomił Baran | 5BLD Masters Opole 2025 (1-2 March) | 22 / 20 / 17 | |
| 3x3x3 One-Handed | Single | 5.66 |  Dhruva Sai Meruva | Swiss Nationals 2024 (4-6 October) | (12.25) / 9.77 / 10.02 / (5.66) / 8.93 |
| Average | 7.72 | Luke Garrett | Chicagoland Newcomers 2025 (9 March) | 8.57 / 7.13 / (6.82) / 7.45 / (12.80) | |
| Clock | Single | 1.53 |  Lachlan Gibson | Hasty Hastings 2025 (27 September) | 3.52 / 2.33 / (7.02) / (1.53) / 3.08 |
| Average | 2.24 | Brendyn Dunagan | Temecula Valley Winter 2025 (13 December) | 2.02 / 3.27 / 1.93 / 2.27 / 2.43 | |
| Megaminx | Single | 21.99 |  Timofei Tarasenko | Tashkent Open 2025 (6-7 December) | (21.99) / (27.44) / 23.81 / 23.67 / 25.65 |
| Average | 24.38 | ||||
| Pyraminx | Single | 0.73 | Simon Kellum | Middleton Meetup Thursday 2023 (21 December) | 4.94 / 2.36 / 1.76 / (0.73) / (DNF) |
| Average | 1.14 | Lingkun Jiang (姜凌坤) | Zhengzhou Zest 2025 (27 December) | 1.04 / (3.22) / (0.97) / 1.21 / 1.16 | |
| Skewb | Single | 0.73 |  Vojtěch Grohmann | Głuszyca Open 2026 (7-8 March) | (3.25) / 1.57 / 1.70 / (0.73) / 1.56 |
| Average | 1.37 | Ignacy Samselski | Cube Factory League Justynów 2025 (14-15 June) | 1.22 / 1.43 / (1.16) / 1.46 / (2.93) | |
| Square-1 | Single | 3.40 | Hassan Khanani | Steel City Sprint PA 2026 (24 January) | 7.11 / 5.98 / (3.40) / (8.61) / 7.70 |
| Average | 4.63 | Sameer Aggarwal | Cubing in Southern Oregon 2025 (1 February) | (8.08) / 6.20 / (3.42) / 3.81 / 3.88 | |
| 4x4x4 Blindfolded | Single | 51.96 | Stanley Chapel | 4BLD in a Madison Hall 2023 (28-29 January) | 1:17.62 / DNF / 51.96 |
| Mean | 59.39 | New York Multimate PBQ II 2025 (13-15 June) | 57.83 / 1:04.79 / 55.54 | ||
| 5x5x5 Blindfolded | Single | 1:58.59 | Multi Mayhem VA 2026 (2-4 January) | DNF / DNF / 2:02.28 | |
| Mean | 2:27.63 | Michigan Cubing Club Epsilon 2019 (14 December) | 2:32.48 / 2:28.80 / 2:21.62 | ||
| 3x3x3 Multi-Blind | Single | 63/65 58:23 | Graham Siggins | Please Be Quiet Reno 2025 (18 October) | 63/65 58:23 / 58/68 1:00:00 |
World Championships
Every two years starting from 2003, the WCA holds the Rubik's Cube World Championships. The Championship ultimately determines the world champion of the puzzle. Every official event is held at the Championship. The Rubik's Cube World Championship requires extremely careful planning by several volunteers, as well as a large financial commitment to reserve the venue and make necessary preparations.[6] The latest championship was held in Seattle, United States from 3 to 6 July 2025. The next Championship is scheduled to be held in Uppsala, Sweden from 22 to 25 July 2027.[48] The 2021 World Championship was to be held in Almere, Amsterdam from 28 to 31 December 2021, already delayed[49] from its initial July dates due to the COVID-19 pandemic, before being ultimately cancelled by the association in August 2021.[50]
| Championship | Year | Host | Date(s) | Nations | Puzzles | Events | 3x3 Winner | Average | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | 1982 |  Budapest |
5 June | 19 | 1 | 1 | Minh Thai |
22.95[note 1] | [51] |
| II | 2003 |  Toronto |
23–24 August | 15 | 9 | 14 | Dan Knights |
20.00 | [52] |
| III | 2005 | Lake Buena Vista |
5–6 November | 16 | 9 | 15 |  Jean Pons |
15.10 | [53] |
| IV | 2007 | Budapest |
5–7 October | 28 | 10 | 17 |  Yu Nakajima |
12.46 | [54] |
| V | 2009 |  Düsseldorf |
9–11 October | 32 | 12 | 19 | Breandan Vallance |
10.74 | [55] |
| VI | 2011 |  Bangkok |
14–16 October | 35 | 12 | 19 | Michał Pleskowicz |
8.65 | [56] |
| VII | 2013 | Las Vegas |
26–28 July | 35 | 10 | 17 | Feliks Zemdegs |
8.18 | [57] |
| VIII | 2015 |  São Paulo |
17–19 July | 37 | 11 | 18 | Feliks Zemdegs |
7.56 | [58] |
| IX | 2017 | Paris |
13–16 July | 64 | 11 | 18 | Max Park |
6.85 | [59] |
| X | 2019 | Melbourne |
11–14 July | 52 | 11 | 18 | Philipp Weyer |
6.74 | [60] |
| - | 2021 |  Almere |
Cancelled | - | 11 | 17 | - | - | [61] |
| XI | 2023 |  Incheon |
12–15 August | 57 | 11 | 17 | Max Park |
5.31 | [62] |
| XII | 2025 | Seattle |
3–6 July | 74 | 11 | 17 | Yiheng Wang |
4.23 | [63] |
| XIII | 2027 |  Uppsala |
22–25 July | - | - | - | - | - | [64] |
- The 1982 World Championship used a Best Of 3 method to determine the winner, so Minh Thai's winning time is actually a single time.