<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Phylogenetic studies of <jats:italic>Carex</jats:italic> L. (Cyperaceae) have consistently demonstrated that most subgenera and sections are para‐ or polyphyletic. Yet, taxonomists continue to use subgenera and sections in <jats:italic>Carex</jats:italic> classification. Why? The Global <jats:italic>Carex</jats:italic> Group (GCG) here takes the position that the historical and continued use of subgenera and sections serves to (i) organize our understanding of lineages in <jats:italic>Carex</jats:italic>, (ii) create an identification mechanism to break the ~2000 species of <jats:italic>Carex</jats:italic> into manageable groups and stimulate its study, and (iii) provide a framework to recognize morphologically diagnosable lineages within <jats:italic>Carex</jats:italic>. Unfortunately, the current understanding of phylogenetic relationships in <jats:italic>Carex</jats:italic> is not yet sufficient for a global reclassification of the genus within a Linnean infrageneric (sectional) framework. Rather than leaving <jats:italic>Carex</jats:italic> classification in its current state, which is misleading and confusing, we here take the intermediate steps of implementing the recently revised subgeneric classification and using a combination of informally named clades and formally named sections to reflect the current state of our knowledge. This hybrid classification framework is presented in an order corresponding to a linear arrangement of the clades on a ladderized phylogeny, largely based on the recent phylogenies published by the GCG. It organizes <jats:italic>Carex</jats:italic> into six subgenera, which are, in turn, subdivided into 62 formally named Linnean sections plus 49 informal groups. This framework will serve as a roadmap for research on <jats:italic>Carex</jats:italic> phylogeny, enabling further development of a complete reclassification by presenting relevant morphological and geographical information on clades where possible and standardizing the use of formal sectional names.</jats:p>