Which Fencing Tournaments am I Eligible For?

Understanding which fencing tournaments you or your child are eligible for can be complicated, to say the least. There are a lot of different tournament categories for different ages and skill levels of fencers, which is great in terms of the variety that it offers. It means that every fencer can find events that are right for them… and it also means that figuring out what the right events are can be overwhelming. In this post, we’re going to break down how to figure out which tournaments you’re eligible for and which tournaments fit your skill level. All the information here applies to the 2026-2027 season, which runs from Aug 1, 2026 until July 31, 2027.

There are three factors that determine which events you can enter: weapon, age, and competitive rating. (Unfamiliar with fencing’s rating system? Check out our post, Competitive Ratings Explained, for a rundown on competitive ratings.)

Weapon

Weapon is really simple. If you fence at MoDuel, you fence epee. All of the tournaments we hold here are epee tournaments, so no need to check. If you’re signing up for an event at another club, make sure it specifies your weapon(s). If it says something like “3-weapon” or “all weapons,” that’s good too! That means that the tournament has events for all three weapons. 

Age Categories

Age categories can be the most complicated part of tournament eligibility. In fencing, you’ll find these terms all used to describe different age categories (from youngest to oldest):

• Y10
• Y12
• Y14
• Cadet
• Junior
• Senior
• Adult combined
• Adult
• Veteran combined
• Vet-40
• Vet-50
• Vet-60
• Vet-70
• Vet-80

One important thing to know before we go into detail on each age category: eligibility is determined by birth year, not exact age. A category might be described as something like “ages 11–14,” but depending on a fencer’s birthday, they might actually be eligible starting at age 10 or extending until age 15. So just remember that “ages X through Y” or “ages X+” is more of a general description of the category, while the birth years listed are what actually determines eligibility.

Youth Age Categories (Y10, Y12 & Y14)

All of the age categories that start with “Y” are youth events: Y10, Y12, and Y14. You can translate these roughly as “10 & under,” “12 & under,” and “14 & under, although each category also has a minimum age.

Y10 is open to fencers ages 7–10. This season, that’s fencers born 2016–2019.
Y12 is open to fencers ages 9–12. This season, that’s fencers born 2014–2017.
Y14 is open to fencers ages 11–14. This season, that’s fencers born 2012–2015.

Most, but not all, fencers will be eligible for two youth events at a time. When trying to decide which event(s) to enter, know that the younger age category is typically considered a fencer’s “main” category. The older category is considered more of a bonus category that will be more challenging.

Cadet & Junior

Cadet and junior fencers become eligible for these starting at 13-years-old. Cadet is limited to younger teenagers, while junior also includes older teenagers. Just like with the youth events, the older category is harder.

Cadet is open to fencers ages 13–16. This season, that’s fencers born 2010–2013.
Junior is open to fencers ages 13–19. This season, that’s fencers born 2007–2013.

13 and 14-year-olds (born 2012–2013) are eligible for Y14, cadet, junior, and senior.

Senior

Senior is considered the “main” age category in fencing. Because of this, senior events aren’t usually labeled as such. If an event doesn’t specify an age category, that means it’s a senior event. Fencers become eligible at 13-years-old and remain eligible forever. There is no maximum age.

Senior is open to fencers ages 13+. This season, that’s fencers born 2013 or earlier.

Adult Age Categories (Adult, Veteran, and Vet-Age)

Fencing has a variety of age categories limited to just adults. Fencers become eligible for adult/adult combined events beginning at 21. At age 39, fencers become eligible for veteran/veteran combined events. At the local and regional level, almost all veteran events are open to all fencers 40+. However, at the national and international levels, there are additional categories broken down by decade.

Adult is open to fencers ages 21-39. This season, that’s fencers born 2005-1987.
Adult combined is open to fencers ages 21+. This season, that’s fencers born 2005 or earlier.
Veteran combined is open to fencers ages 39+. This season, that’s fencers born 1987 or earlier.
Vet-40 is open to fencers ages 39–48. This season, that’s fencers born 1978–1987.
Vet-50 is open to fencers ages 49–58. This season, that’s fencers born 1968–1977.
Vet-60 is open to fencers ages 59–68. This season, that’s fencers born 1958-1967.
Vet-70 is open to fencers ages 69+. This season, that’s fencers born 1957 or earlier.
Vet-80 is open to fencers ages 79+. This season, that’s fencers born 1947 or earlier.

Okay, and with that, we’re done with the age categories! Moving on to the rating categories. These are much easier.

Rating Categories

If you’re unfamiliar with competitive ratings, and you haven’t read Competitive Ratings Explained yet, here’s a quick overview of the rating system:

By doing well in competitions, fencers can win ratings almost like prizes. For example, a fencer who gets first place at very small competition might get an E rating, or a fencer who gets third place at a large open competition might get a C rating. All fencers start off as unrated (U) and stay that way until they earn a rating. E is the lowest rating you can earn, and A is the highest. As you go up the ratings, they get increasingly difficult to earn.

Many tournaments, especially at the senior level, are limited to fencers of only certain ratings. These are the terms you’ll see to describe certain rating categories of tournaments (from lowest/easiest to highest/hardest):

• Unrated/U
• E & under
• D & under/division III
• C & under/division II
• Open/division IA
• Division I (not the same as division IA)

With the exception of division I (which is only held at the national level) and open/division IA (which is open to everyone), all of these categories are limited to a certain rating and below. That means that the lower the rating you have, the more options you have available. Unrated fencers can compete in every category held at the local level.

Unrated/U

Unrated (also sometimes called unclassified or just U) events are open only to unrated fencers. That makes them the easiest type of competition.

E & under

E & under events are open to unrated and E-rated fencers. They’re the easiest type of competition we hold at MoDuel, since we don’t hold unrated events.

D & under/division III

D & under events (also sometimes called division III), are open to unrated, E-rated, and D-rated fencers. They’re a somewhat small step up in difficulty from E & under competitions.

C & under/division II

C & under events (also sometimes called division II), are open to unrated, E-rated, D-rated, and C-rated fencers. They’re a much larger step up in difficulty, largely because C is typically considered to be the first of the “high-level” ratings.

Open/division IA

Open events (also sometimes called division IA) can be considered the “main” rating category. Open events are open to fencers of all ratings, including U, E, D, C, B, and A ratings. If an event doesn’t specify a rating category, that means it’s an open event. Events in age categories other than senior are almost always open events.

Division I

Division I events are a special outlier in fencing. They’re generally held only at the national level, and they’re open to fencers rated C and higher (that’s C, B, and A). Division I national events are the only competitions where fencers can earn senior national points. Earning enough senior national points is how fencers qualify to be on Team USA and compete internationally.

In Summary

And we’re done! We’ve covered all the categories of events. When you’re looking for tournaments, make sure you know the weapon, age category, and rating category of an event (usually they’re right there in the title). As long as those fit what you’re eligible for, you’re good to sign up!

Remember that if there’s no age category listed, it’s a senior event (ages 13+). If there’s no rating category listed, it’s an open event (all ratings).

Eligibility Chart