We’re recruiting for Season One.
If you compete in this sport or you have the size, strength, and conditioning to step into it — we want to hear from you.
The Dohyo is Open.
The United States Sumo Federation and the regional clubs have built the amateur competition across the country for decades. American athletes have competed under the International Sumo Federation around the world. The sport is here, and it has been here.
Sumo Championship League is the professional touring league whose time has finally come.
How Competition Works.
SCL events feature 12 elite wrestlers competing across three rounds in a single evening — all under the rules the sport has always used, on an official elevated dohyo.
The Format
Round One: Full Round Robin — all 12 wrestlers face every other competitor head-to-head.
Round Two: The top six advance to a second full Round Robin.
Championship Bracket: The top four from Round Two compete in seeded, best-of-three semifinals and final.
The Money
$15,000 Championship Bracket prize purse: $10,000 / $2,500 / $1,500 / $1,000 by finish.
$1,000 Appearance Fee paid to every competing wrestler.
The Season
Every result counts — wins and placements accumulate as Sumo Power Points in the season-long standings.
The top 12 at season’s end qualify for the SCL Annual Championship, where $100,000 in prize money and the title of SCL Grand Champion (Yokozuna) are on the line.
The Details
SCL events start monthly in October 2026. The complete tournament format, season points system, and prize structure — available upon submission of interest.
Who We’re Looking For.
Age: 18 years and over.
Competitive weight floor: a working threshold around 250 pounds. The final figure will be set in the selection-criteria document.
Open to:
- Amateur sumo competitors who have previously participated in the sport in this country and around the world.
- Heavyweight wrestlers from amateur, collegiate, and freestyle backgrounds.
- Football linemen and other heavyweight athletes from sports where the conditioning translates.
- Anyone who has the size, strength, and competitive background to believe they can compete at the professional level.
We’re starting with a men’s division at launch.
What we’re looking for
Selection criteria are being finalized.
When the process opens, we’ll be in touch with what we’re looking for, what the path forward is, and how to take the next step.
Tell us about yourself.
Tell us about yourself — where you compete now, what competitions you’ve placed in, what brings you to this. Include a photo or a short video — what we’re looking for at this stage is who you are and what you bring to the ring. Production value is not the point.
Selection criteria are being finalized. Submitting puts you on the list for when the process opens.
What happens after you send us your information?
Submissions come into the team. We’re building the selection process now. When it opens, we’ll be in touch — first with the criteria and the timeline, and then with the next steps for athletes who fit what we’re recruiting for.
Competitive credentials matter. If you’ve placed at the US Sumo Open, a national or regional championship, or in any heavyweight competition, tell us.
We’re also reaching out directly to amateur sumo organizations and clubs around the world. Athletes find their way to a professional league through several paths.
The ones who make it will have earned it. That’s the point.
Your amateur standing
Federations set their own eligibility rules. How a professional opportunity at SCL intersects with your standing is a conversation to have with your federation. We’ll be clear with you about what we’re offering; the decision about what fits with the amateur sport is yours to make.