The Cheerleading Worlds

The Cheerleading Worlds is the premier end-of-season world championship for elite all-star cheerleading. Sanctioned by the U.S. All Star Federation (USASF) and the International All Star Federation (IASF), it is held annually at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, typically across three days in late April or early May.

An invitation to Worlds is widely regarded as the highest honor in club cheerleading. Only elite Level 6 and international Level 5/6/7 teams that earn qualifying bids at sanctioned events throughout the season may compete, and routines are judged on difficulty, execution, creativity, and overall composition. Winning a Worlds title is the sport's most coveted achievement.

The championship has grown into a truly global event. In its 2025 edition, USASF reported that more than 500 cheerleading teams and roughly 11,000-plus cheerleaders from around two dozen countries participated, alongside the concurrent Dance Worlds, underscoring Worlds' status as the pinnacle stage of the sport.

USASF hosted the first Cheerleading Worlds on April 24, 2004. It was an invitation-only event with just 14 teams competing in only two divisions - Senior All Girl Level 5 and Senior Coed Level 5 - and was staged on a soundstage at Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney's Hollywood Studios) at Walt Disney World, in a space that held only a few hundred spectators.

The event expanded rapidly. By 2007 more than 100 teams from 15 countries competed, and USASF introduced dance divisions that year under 'The Dance Worlds' branding. As the sport's difficulty escalated over the following years, the top all-star tier was recategorized and Worlds became a Level 6 (and later IASF Level 5/6/7) championship, growing to hundreds of teams and thousands of athletes from dozens of nations.

Today The Cheerleading Worlds is held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and is broadcast on Varsity TV, having become the internationally recognized capstone of the competitive all-star season.

Worlds is structured over multiple days, typically with a preliminary round, semi-finals, and finals, and teams must advance through each round to reach the final performance. The competition floor and arena atmosphere are unlike anything else in the season, with international flags, national pride, and the sport's most difficult and polished routines on display.

Because entry is bid-only and limited to elite teams, families and fans attending Worlds see the very best programs in the world compete head-to-head. Expect large crowds, a festival-like Disney/Orlando setting, warm-up areas, and elaborate awards ceremonies where world champions are crowned. Many attendees combine the trip with a Walt Disney World vacation.

The Cheerleading Worlds takes place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. The nearest major airport is Orlando International Airport (MCO), roughly 20-30 minutes away. Disney and area resort hotels, along with numerous nearby Orlando-area hotels, provide lodging; many families book Disney vacation packages around the competition, and Disney resort transportation and rideshare are common ways to reach the complex.