NJPW Announces 2024 G1 Climax Tournament to Return to Two Block Format, Qualifiers for Final Two Entrants, & New Group Playoffs Rounds

During Sunday’s Dominion 2024 event in Osaka, Japan, New Japan Pro Wrestling announced that this year’s G1 Climax tournament will return back to its traditional two group blocks format and 30-minute time limit for tournament matches.

It was also announced that this year’s tournament will feature twenty competitors split into A Block and B Block with ten competitors each. It was also announced that eighteen of the total twenty competitors to be officially revealed at next week’s New Japan Soul 2024 event. The remaining two competitors, one for A Block and one for B Block, will be determined in a qualifier tournament that will take place throughout this year’s New Japan Soul tour from June 16th to July 5th in Japan.

Unlike with past year’s tournaments, it was also announced that this year’s tournament will feature the top three wrestlers in each group advancing to a playoffs tournament with the winner of each group block receiving a bye for their block’s respective Semifinal Round.

Official press release:

Details revealed for G1 Climax 34!

Major changes for 2024

A special video presentation during Dominion saw the first details revealed for G1 Climax 34, with some returns to classic formats, and new twists added with a fresh feel for 2024.

After two years of four block formats, G1 Climax 34 will return to the two block, twenty entrant form of competition, starting July 20 and 21 with Opening Weekend, where both nights will have ten league matchups.

18 entrants will be revealed in their blocks next week at New Japan Soul June 16. But two more will be determined with a play in qualifier tournaments, taking place during the New Japan Soul tour and ending with finals in the Tokyo Budokan July 5.

Once the G1 proper gets underway, after 20 minute time limits during G1 33, this year league matches will be back to 30 minute, grueling contests. As ever, two points for a win and one for a draw will be the standard up to the league’s final nights.

This year though, it will be the top three finishers that advance. Second and third place finishers will face off in Makuhari August 15, with the top point scorer receiving a bye to Ryogoku August 17. There, semifinals will determine an overall winner for each block, to compete in the grand final August 18!

It’s going to be a red hot summer- don’t miss a second of G1 Climax 34!