With the ADCC Asian Trials now complete, the invite discussion has effectively taken over social media. Grapplers are posting emails, screenshots and announcements across Instagram at a pace that suggests many people have secured a place in Poland. The crew at FloGrappling, however, is urging caution, arguing that the numbers do not add up and that the issues extend far beyond a few premature announcements.
On a recent episode of the FloGrappling Show, hosts Trey Robinson, Reed and Joey discussed the state of each division heading into the ADCC World Championships in Kraków, Poland on September 12 and 13. While examining the women’s under 121 lbs (55 kg) division, the conversation turned toward the growing confusion surrounding invite announcements.
“I saw she did post like the email thing. Like I said, I don’t really know a lot of the, like I’ve kind of been seeing too many email invites to be honest where I’m like, is this adding up? I don’t know.”
Reed expanded on that concern.
“Over 16 people have this, including trials people, over 16 people have shown an invite for minus 99.”
That figure creates an obvious problem. ADCC divisions contain 16 competitors. If more than 16 athletes are publicly claiming invitations in a single division, then at least some of those claims cannot ultimately translate into confirmed bracket positions. Whether that results from misunderstandings, premature announcements or invitations that never become finalized remains unclear.
Earlier in the same discussion, Reed explained what he believes constitutes an official invitation.
“A lot of those invites on Instagram going out that aren’t like technically the official announcement of someone. It has to be posted on the ADCC World account. That’s whenever it’s like, and you’ll see that same graphic they’ve been using. That’s the official invite.”
The complication is that the Instagram account most fans associate with ADCC has shown little interest in actively promoting the Kraków World Championships. Instead, the account has primarily focused on content connected to Mo Jassim, who promoted the 2022 and 2024 ADCC World Championships and now operates BJJ opens and ADCC youth events under that branding umbrella.
As a result, the standard Reed described leaves athletes and fans looking toward an account that is not functioning as a reliable source of confirmation for the September event.
What’s adding confusion to this is that the blogpost on the official website listing competitors and invtes was privated following the push to remove Izaak Michell from the list given his wanted status.
The organization controlling the ADCC social media presence is not the same entity promoting the Kraków championships, creating confusion regarding what should constitute official confirmation.
The uncertainty extends beyond social media.
FloGrappling, which holds the rights to broadcast ADCC 2026, has publicly acknowledged uncertainty surrounding the status of Izaak Michell. The Australian grappler currently occupies a position in the under 170 lbs (77 kg) division but also faces an unresolved legal situation in the United States.
While reviewing the division, Trey Robinson commented on Michell’s absence from promotional materials.
“Just worth noting Izaak Michell not on this graphic. Um, haven’t heard an official ruling on that yet. Let’s just hope he’s not going. I don’t know. It’s like a bad situation going on there. And as of now, we’re just going to look at it without Isaac.”
The remark offered no additional sourcing or clarification. For a broadcaster actively promoting the tournament, the lack of information is notable. FloGrappling possesses a direct commercial relationship with the event and is expected to provide comprehensive coverage, yet one of the most significant roster questions remains unanswered publicly.
Beyond invitations and athlete eligibility, ticket sales have become another point of discussion.
Based on BJJDOC’s investigation into available seating from the venue, approximately 5,497 tickets had been accounted for by May 20, representing 36.7% of visible capacity. By June 8, that figure had increased to approximately 5,812 tickets, or 38.8%. By June 23, the total had reached roughly 5,883 tickets, representing 39.3%.
The pace of movement appears to have slowed considerably. Between May 20 and June 8, approximately 315 tickets were accounted for, averaging roughly 17 per day. Between June 8 and June 23, approximately 71 tickets were accounted for, averaging roughly 5 per day.
Several sections, including A10, A11, C1 and A1, appear to be among the most active visible sections. At the same time, numerous luxury sections and multiple A-tier and B-tier sections display no available seats. Whether those sections are genuinely sold out or simply withheld from public sale remains unclear.
Those unavailable sections account for roughly 3,600 seats whose status cannot currently be verified. If a significant portion represents inventory that has been reserved rather than sold, the actual sales picture could be weaker than visible seating charts suggest.
Taken together, these issues point toward broader communication challenges surrounding ADCC 2026.
The social media account many fans view as the official source for invitations is not actively serving that role for the Kraków event. Athletes continue posting invitation emails despite apparent discrepancies between claimed invites and available bracket positions. FloGrappling has publicly acknowledged uncertainty regarding a major athlete’s status despite serving as the event’s broadcaster. Ticket sales, based on visible inventory, appear to have slowed significantly as the championship approaches.
ADCC remains the most prestigious submission grappling tournament in the world, and the athletes expected to compete in Kraków are likely to deliver elite-level matches. Nevertheless, questions surrounding communication, invitation procedures and coordination between organizers and broadcasters continue to generate uncertainty.
Until official bracket confirmations become more transparent, social media invitation posts should be treated cautiously. A posted email does not necessarily guarantee a finalized position in the tournament. When the brackets are ultimately released, every division will be filled. It remains highly unlikely that every athlete currently posting invitation emails will appear in the final field.
