In 2010, Red Bull X-Fighters is no longer an invitational. Instead of holding a ranking event, qualifying will be done according to performance and the World Tour ranking. The top six riders will be pre-qualified. This means that Nate Adams (USA), Robbie Maddison (AUS), Eigo Sato (JPN), Mat Rebeaud (SUI), Dany Torres (ESP) and Levi Sherwood (NZL) are already seeded for the season opener in Mexico, based on their standings at the end of the 2009 season. Four spots will be battled out by six riders, who have been selected by the international Red Bull X-Fighters jury following an own application process which was started in autumn last year. 2 Wild Card riders will complete the starting list.