Registration at NHRL

(Note: This page has been updated for the 2026 season.)

Please only register if you are 100% sure you can compete at the event.

You can register for events at the NHRL Registration Hub.

Note that this system may change and evolve throughout the 2026 season.

Registration

We offer 2 events for public registration: the NHRL Open for 3lb, 12lb, and 30lb, and NHRL XP, for less experienced and more casual competitors. NHRL XP is for the 3lb weight class only, for the time being. Both events happen on the same day at the NHRL House of Havoc.

Because of overwhelming demand, we have registration caps at our NHRL events.

• 3lb Open: 80 bots
• 3lb XP: 16 bots
• 12lb Open: 32 bots
• 30lb Open: 32 bots (up from 20 last year)

Registration opens about 8 weeks before the event (sooner for the January and February events). It closes about 7 weeks before the event, and selections are announced about 6.5 weeks before the event.

Registration requires a $75 deposit. You will get it back as long as you are able to make it to your first-round prelim fight.

Selection

Selections are generally announced 6 weeks before the event (it will be a shorter turnaround for the February and March events). Selection is by driver, not bot, although the bot registered is a factor.

Selection is no longer a weighted lottery, as it was in 2025. Instead, we will select the most experienced competitors first.

Selections are made in the following order.

• All drivers who have competed with a currently-ranked bot, bringing a currently-ranked bot, who are in good standing, and who are able to compete at 2026 World Championships, ordered by rank (starting with the best rank).
• All drivers who have competed with a currently-ranked bot, bringing an currently-unranked bot, who are in good standing, and who are able to compete at 2026 World Championships, selected randomly.
• Any drivers who have completed the XP requirement at the NHRL XP tournament (3lb only), are in good standing, and who are able to compete at 2026 World Championships, selected randomly.

“Able to compete at 2026 World Championships” means able and willing to compete at the 2026 World Championships with their entered bot, barring an unexpected emergency or life event.

If there is still room in 3lb, we may allow randomly-selected drivers who are close to reaching 10,000 XP. If there is still room in 12lb and/or 30lb, we may allow randomly-selected inexperienced drivers.

We may also allow drivers who won’t be able or willing to compete at the 2026 World Championships, and/or not in good standing if there is still room after that.

Good standing

A competitor is in good standing if they meet all of the following criteria:

• They have not forfeited either of their first 2 fights at the last 2 NHRL events at that weight class.
• They have not dropped out after registering in the last 2 NHRL events at that weight class.
• They have not forfeited either of their first 2 fights or dropped out after registering at multiple events in the last 12 months at that weight class.
• They have not been disqualified from NHRL events in the past 6 months due to demerits, or forfeited multiple fights due to excessive TKO points in any weight class.
• They have not acted improperly with a timeout, or ban in the NHRL Discord in the past 6 months.

NHRL XP

NHRL XP is a separate 3lb tournament we run on the same day we run NHRL Open. It is open to any competitor, regardless of experience. We encourage inexperienced competitors to cut their teeth here.

After each event, competitors gain XP for the following.

Achievement	XP
Made first fight	500
Made it to bracket	1500
Made semifinals	2000
Made final	2500
Won event	3500
Forfeit in prelims first round	-2000
Forfeit in prelims second or third round	-1000
Forfeit in bracket	-500

A competitor who reaches 10,000 XP becomes eligible to be selected for Open.

2026 reservations

Information about 2026 reservations is coming soon.