Washington Middle School eighth-grade student Spencer Espinoza has qualified for the Rubik’s WCA North American Championship 2026 in three competitive events, earning him eligibility to advance to U.S. Nationals.

The North American Championship will take place July 2-5, 2026, at the Raleigh Convention Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. The competition is being hosted by CubingUSA and serves as both the North American Championship and the U.S. National Championship in the same event.

Speedcubing is a rapidly growing mind sport that challenges competitors to solve a variety of twisty puzzles, including the classic Rubik’s Cube, in the fastest time possible. Events test far more than hand speed; successful competitors rely on advanced pattern recognition, memorization, spatial reasoning, and mental focus under pressure.

Official competitions include multiple timed solves with strict rules governing inspection time, penalties, and averaging methods.

Qualifying for the North American Championship requires competitors to meet or exceed demanding performance benchmarks in sanctioned competitions. Earning qualification in three separate events is a notable achievement and reflects Spencer’s consistent performance across multiple puzzle formats.

Spencer is the son of Humberto and Sheena Espinoza.

Spencer Espinoza