Mattel, Inc., a global play and family entertainment company, announced that submissions are now open for Mattel’s Hot Wheels Legends Tour presented by Mobil 1.
The Hot Wheels Legends Tour is the world’s largest custom car competition and global celebration of automotive culture in search of the next Hot Wheels die-cast car. Entering its ninth year, the Hot Wheels Legends Tour will host in-person and virtual events across 19 countries in 2026, marking its most expansive and internationally diverse event lineup to date. Building on a record-breaking 2025 season that saw thousands of attendees and vehicle entries from around the world, the 2026 Tour continues its global expansion as Canada returns to the schedule and Hot Wheels hosts new events in the Asia-Pacific region including Indonesia, with more locations and dates to be announced.
A panel of Hot Wheels designers and local automotive celebrity judges will assess each entry based on Authenticity, Creativity and Garage Spirit. At every global stop, one winning build will move on to the Regional Finals across Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and North America. The four regional champions will face off at the Global Grand Finale in November where one build will earn the honor to be immortalized as an official Hot Wheels 1:64 scale die-cast car and be sold to fans and collectors worldwide.
“With 19 countries on this year’s schedule and new partners joining us in 2026, we’re putting the pedal down and making this our biggest Hot Wheels Legends Tour yet for builders and fans around the world,” said Ted Wu, senior vice president of Hot Wheels and global head of vehicles and building sets at Mattel. “Now in our ninth year, the Hot Wheels Legends Tour continues to fuel car culture across continents, throwing down a challenge to builders everywhere. And every year, they answer loud and clear: challenge accepted. With fearless creativity, boundary-breaking craftsmanship and uncompromising passion, they push limits, break rules and transform extraordinary custom builds into the next iconic die-cast legend.”
The North American leg of the 2026 Tour begins on April 25 in Tampa, Fla. with a live event at the Walmart 1390 address: Pinellas Park Supercenter, 8001 Us Highway 19 N, Pinellas Park, FL 33781.
Walmart location, followed by 11 additional stops across the United States and Canada. The North American stops will conclude with a special event at Mattel’s headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., ahead of the virtual Regional Finals. Each stop will feature the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends life-size cars, hands-on play spaces, premium die-cast displays and special edition Hot Wheels Legends products available exclusively at Tour events.
2026 Hot Wheels Legends Tour Dates:
- April 25: Tampa, Fla.
- May 2: Charlotte, N.C.
- May 16: Detroit, Mich.
- May 30: Toronto, Canada
- June 10 – 14: France
- June 13 – 14: Germany
- June 13: Louisville, Ky.
- June 27: Birmingham, Ala.
- June 27 – 28: Poland
- July 11: Houston, Texas
- July 18: Dallas, Texas
- August 1: San Francisco, Calif.
- August 22: Albuquerque, N.M.
- August 22 – 23: Greece
- August 27 – 30: U.K.
- September 12 – 13: Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg)
- September 19 – 20: Spain and Portugal
- September 26: Las Vegas, Nev.
- October 3: Hot Wheels Headquarters in El Segundo, Calif.
Italy, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Asia-Pacific also participate in the Hot Wheels Legends Tour, with exact dates to be announced soon.
