Thousands of men from around the world have applied for the $100,000 prize, including hopefuls from North Korea
If you thought competitive sports had already gone as far as they could go, with things like chess boxing and Power Slap, you may want to think again.
The world’s first Sperm Racing World Cup is set to take place in San Francisco this May, and organizers say it has already drawn more than 10,000 applicants from over 100 countries. All of them are hoping to get a shot at the $100,000 prize.
Yep, you read that correctly. This is a real contest where the main event happens under a microscope rather than on a field, court, or track.
The tournament is expected to feature semen samples from 128 men, with each one representing a different country. Those samples will then go head-to-head on a tiny race track built for sperm cells.
The idea is simple enough: the quickest sperm wins, and the man behind the winning sample collects the six-figure payout. It is strange, but the format is designed to feel like a real international tournament.
Applicants have reportedly come from across the world, including the US, Iran, Israel, and even North Korea. That global interest is part of why organizers say picking the final competitors will not be easy.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, co-founder Shane Fan said organizers are now sorting through the huge pool of hopefuls. Their goal is to narrow it down to the healthiest and most competitive entrants from around the globe.
He said: “We are aiming to find the healthiest person possible for each country to compete. There is a lot of work that goes into maintaining a healthy body.”
The selection process is not just about who signs up first. Organizers are looking at health, eligibility, and which country each person can represent before choosing the final 128 competitors.
Owners with the speediest sperm in the world could take home $100,000Photo by Matias Baglietto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
How does the Sperm Racing World Cup work?
Competitors will not need to appear in person, which is probably a relief for anyone imagining how awkward that might get.
Instead, each selected “athlete” will be sent a kit so they can provide a semen sample at home. The sample is then mailed back to California, where it is processed and tested for the competition.
Scientists will isolate individual sperm before placing them into a specially designed microfluidic track. Reports describe the race distance as tiny, measured in microns, which means the whole thing happens on a scale far too small to see without powerful equipment.
Powerful microscopes will magnify each movement so viewers can actually follow the race. The event is also expected to be broadcast online, while giant screens at the San Francisco venue will show progress, stats, and live leaderboards.
Fans may also be shown each competitor’s health data, including body composition and biomarkers. The idea is to let people pick favorites in a way that feels a little closer to a traditional sporting event.
The format is expected to include qualifiers, head-to-head races, tournament rounds, and a final. So, while the subject is unusual, the competition itself is being packaged like a full sports spectacle.
Photos from the first event back in 2025Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images
Organizers have described the contest as a way to make male fertility feel less awkward to talk about. By turning sperm motility into a public competition, they hope to get men thinking more seriously about testing and reproductive health.
That may sound like an odd way to start a health conversation, but the team behind the event seems to be leaning into the weirdness. The more people talk about the race, the more attention the topic of male fertility gets.
There is also a practical side to the competition. Sperm speed, movement, and general quality are already part of how fertility is checked in medical settings, even if doctors do not usually turn it into a World Cup.
Is this the first ever sperm race?
Despite the World Cup being billed as the first event of its kind, the same team previously held a much smaller race in Los Angeles in April 2025. That event featured two college students competing live for a $10,000 cash prize.
The Los Angeles version had a crowd of hundreds, giant screens, commentary, weigh-ins, and live rankings. It was presented as a mix of entertainment and awareness around men’s reproductive health.
It seems that smaller trial was successful enough for the organizers to take the idea global. Now, the plan is to move from a two-person race to a 128-country tournament with a much larger prize.
Why is America having a male fertility crisis?
Beneath the strange and funny nature of the event, organizers say there is a serious point. Research has suggested average sperm counts may have dropped by more than 50 percent over recent decades, which has raised concern among fertility experts.
Scientists have linked the decline to several possible factors, including obesity, poor diet, lack of exercise, chronic disease, and environmental exposures. No single cause explains everything, but many researchers agree the trend is worth taking seriously.
Fertility rates have also fallen across many developed nations, which has added to wider concern about reproductive health. The race is trying to use humor and competition to make that issue feel easier to discuss.
It’s not all about how many – it’s about how mobile your sperm are tooPhoto by Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images
How do doctors assess sperm health?
Doctors assess sperm health by looking at more than just count. Motility, which means how well sperm move, is also important because sperm need to swim well enough to reach and fertilize an egg.
Morphology matters too. That refers to the shape and structure of sperm, since sperm with abnormal forms may be less effective when it comes to fertilization.
Smoking, heavy alcohol use, steroid use, obesity, and overheating of the testes can all affect male fertility. That is why doctors often look at lifestyle and health history when someone has concerns about sperm quality.
The race’s backers say that by turning something many men find awkward, like semen testing, into a shareable competition, they hope to make the topic feel less embarrassing. Their aim is to push male reproductive health into the mainstream instead of leaving it as something people avoid.
Whether the idea works or not, a $100,000 prize is one way to make people pay attention. And with more than 10,000 applicants already reported, it looks like the world’s strangest race has no shortage of willing entrants.