Crufts 2026: Entries Open

And The Kennel Club wants to hear from those competing at the event

Entries have opened today, 25th November for Crufts 2026, which is taking place at the NEC in Birmingham from Thursday 5 – Sunday 8 March next year. Tickets are also now on sale via crufts.org.uk.

Crufts 2026 will showcase over 200 pedigree breeds, beginning with the Working and Pastoral groups on Thursday 5 March, Terrier and Hound groups on Friday 6 March, Utility and Toy on Saturday 7 March and concluding with the Gundog group on Sunday 8 March. Elsewhere, the Junior Warrant final and Breeders competition will also take place on the Thursday, and the Joe Cartledge Memorial International Junior Handling competition and Vulnerable Breed final on the Friday.

Last year saw over 18,500 dogs competing for Best in Show, with the most overseas dogs entered than ever before – 3,952 dogs from 50 countries. Crufts 2026 will, for the first time, see the addition of Hall 8 as the brand-new home of the Young Kennel Club (YKC) – a vibrant and inspiring space dedicated to nurturing the next generation of dog lovers and handlers. The new hall will also play host to brand-new dog grooming competitions, showcasing the artistry and precision of top dog grooming talent from all over the world.

In the popular Discover Dogs zone, visitors can meet and learn about over 200 breeds – including three newly-recognised breeds on the Imported Breed Register - Hungarian Mudi, Icelandic Sheepdog and Pyrenean Mastiff. Over in the breed rings, Bolognese, Coton de Tulear, German Pinscher and Japanese Akita Inu have Challenge Certificates (CCs) for the first time while Russian Toy exhibitors have breed classes scheduled for the first time. To enter Crufts 2026, or to find out more about qualification, visit crufts.org.uk/crufts-entries. Postal entries close on 5 January 2026 and online entries close on 19 January 2026. The schedule is available through Fosse Daya Systems Ltd and The Kennel Club would like to thank Fosse Data for running Crufts entries. Exhibitors are asked to note that digital catalogues will be available once again this year. However, there will be the option to order a printed version if preferred, but they must be pre ordered on the entry form and collected at the show by 12 noon on the day they are valid.

The Kennel Club is also calling for anyone competing at Crufts – in any activity or discipline – to help to promote the benefits of dog ownership, dogs in society and taking part in canine activities. The organisation is looking for inspiring dogs and owners with interesting stories that it can communicate to the media in the run up to Crufts and during the show itself.

To give competitors at Crufts the potential opportunity to tell their dog’s story to the wider world, The Kennel Club has set up an online form, which can be filled in by visiting crufts.org.uk/crufts-stories/

Examples of stories that might be of interest are:

• Dogs that have changed their owners’ lives, or positively impacted the lives of others

• Dogs and/or owners or handlers that have overcome the odds

• Dogs with jobs outside of the show ring, or the canine activity they take part in

• Oldest and youngest Crufts competitors

• Two or more generations of the same family competing at Crufts

• A family with a very long association with Crufts

• Competitors who found love through their dog

Tom Mather, Crufts Chairman, commented: “Every year we look for remarkable stories that show the wide range of people who enjoy taking part in dog showing and the many other canine activities and disciplines, to showcase the impact that dogs have on our lives and to share some amazing stories of what goes on outside of the show ring.

“If you are competing at Crufts 2026 and have a good story to tell or an interesting history with Crufts that you are happy to be shared with the public, then let us know by filling out the online form and help us to show the world just how wonderful our dogs are.”

Across the four days of the show, Crufts welcomes nearly 20,000 dogs, 155,000 people and sees over 8 million TV viewers tune into the Channel 4, More4 and All4 broadcast. All the main arena action is also live streamed on the official Crufts YouTube channel.

Crufts 2026 will introduce a two-day weekday ticket (valid for Thursday and Friday), giving visitors even more time to explore the show, alongside a Fast-Track Arena seating ticket, available for Friday or Saturday, which includes reserved seating in the main arena for unbeatable views of the action – without the queues. More information and tickets for the event are available on the Crufts website: Crufts.org.uk. Tickets are free for under 8s, and advance tickets start at £16 for children (aged 9-15) and concessions, and £24 for adults (fees apply). Please note that tickets are only available through our official ticketing partner AXS.