Coonhound World Championship

September 25-27, 2025
Portland, IN

Get ready for the 2025 World Championship Finals!

About Coonhound World Championship

The most prestigious title in Coonhounds.

This event offers three days of world-class competition. Participants compete for prizes provided by the event sponsors, as well as prestige; the World Nite Hunt Champion and World Bench Show Champion are crowned.

Competitors in this annual competition start as part of a group of thousands of World Champion hopefuls, representing entries from all over the U.S. and Canada.

The field of hopefuls is narrowed to the best-of-the-best coonhounds and handlers during the more than 150 Regional Qualifying Events that take place across the country throughout the year.

These qualified entries are again required to show their merit by competing in one of seven semifinal events, also scattered throughout the country. Semifinal events challenge the participants from each region to ensure only the top contenders make it to the World Championship Finals.

Coonhound World FAQs

The Road to the World Championship

Reaching the World Championship is a yearlong endeavor.

First, a dog must earn a plus-point cast win at any UKC Regional Qualifying Event (RQE) within the competition year. RQE hunts are scattered throughout the country from January-August.

RQE plus point cast winners are eligible for the next stage: the semi-final round, called Zones.

Zones take place in September on the weekend prior to the World Championship. This is where the field of RQE plus-point cast winners is narrowed considerably. There are 8 Zone hunt locations in 2024. Owner/handlers of qualified dogs must submit an advanced entry for the Zone of their choice. The dog must advance from Zones to have a spot in the World Hunt.

Up to 108 dogs will advance from the Zones to the World Finals.

Coonhound World Championship 2025 - Event Ad (PDF)

View All Coonhound World Event Results