Microsoft Excel World Championship competitor Grayson Huynh, technical lead at Bupa, felt the heat last year during his first-ever tournament appearance in Las Vegas. Surrounded by hundreds of cheering fans and a live broadcast team, the pressure was intense.

“I made it all the way to the top eight,” says Huynh. “Unfortunately, I didn’t do too well in that Vegas setting; it was a mental challenge. Being with a live audience in a race against time where every five minutes a player was eliminated just didn’t lead to me making good decisions.”

New Zealand’s Nick Boberg, founder of Boberg Advisory, agrees. “I remember not being able to type properly in the first five minutes. You just forget what you’re doing,” he says. “It’s frenetic. I had noise-cancelling headphones on but could still hear everything the commentators were saying.”

Both Huynh and Boberg are expected to return to Las Vegas in December 2025, as they are currently in the global top 10 in the ‘Road to Las Vegas’. At the time of writing, Huynh is ranked eighth and Boberg tenth. They’ll likely be joined by Australia’s Andrew Ngai, currently ranked second and a former champion with wins in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

In 2024, Ngai was narrowly beaten by Toronto-based Michael Jarman. “Michael has come second a couple of times, so that wasn’t surprising,” says Ngai, a director at Taylor Fry. “I go into every competition trying to win, but I know my competitors are strong and smart.”

How the championship works

Players compete by solving ‘cases’ – puzzles built entirely within Excel. Themes vary, from desert island survival to underwater treasure hunts. Each case contains a series of questions, with players having 30 minutes to submit as many correct answers as possible to rack up points.

Nine open-entry online events are held annually, forming the Road to Las Vegas. These help players qualify for the finals and refine their skills.

“If you are regularly coming top 20 in the Road to Las Vegas, then you can feel good about your chances,” says Boberg.

Huynh’s training involves hours each night solving archived cases, timing himself, then reviewing his errors. YouTube also plays a key role, with competitors posting detailed walkthroughs of past cases.

“That’s how I improved when I started,” says Huynh. “It’s like studying old exam papers – but in Vegas, the exam is live-streamed and a wrong formula can mean elimination.”

A game that’s evolving

Ngai says the game has developed significantly in recent years. “They’ve launched a new platform for practice and competition. It’s easier to enter answers and access past cases, and people can now set up local games.”

He also notes a major change: “AI has been banned. It used to help people get more from Excel, but now AI is so good it can solve entire cases instantly. At that point, it becomes a speed-copying contest.”

Does it help your career?

Huynh, Ngai and Boberg all say their participation has helped their careers in small but meaningful ways. Ngai has made media appearances and Huynh now runs Excel training sessions at Bupa. Boberg, who has also worked as a commentator and case designer, says some people jokingly refer to him as an “Excel world champion”.

“I even had a stranger recognise me at a squash club after watching the live stream,” he laughs.

Ngai adds, “A few years ago I wouldn’t have expected this. It’s pretty amazing that Excel now has live audiences and global interest.”

Find out more

The Microsoft Excel World Championship finals will be held from 1–3 December 2025.

• Find out more here
• Watch the live stream and past events here