A definitive guide for Club Nationals appointment viewing.
October 9, 2025 by Calvin Ciorba in Opinion, Preview
Ultiworld’s coverage of the 2025 club ultimate season are presented by Spin Ultimate; all opinions are those of the author(s). Find out how Spin can get you, and your team, looking your best this season.
The Line brings together lists of sevens from our reporting staff.
Have you blocked off your calendar for Thursday, October 23rd yet? Because that’s what you’ll need to do to keep up with the annual frenzy that is Club Nationals. Well, that and a plan for how to watch.
Now the only trouble is picking from the smorgasbord of pool play matchups. With a whopping 20 games being streamed on Thursday, it can be hard to know which one fans should tune into. Don’t worry, Ultiworld’s got you covered. We’ve narrowed down the seven games that bring the most excitement, history, star power, and stakes to the opening day of Nationals.
#1 San Francisco Revolver vs #2 Chicago Machine
Men’s Pool A – 1:30 pm PT
The World Cup-style pool draw system, which first debuted in 2023, breathed new life into the stale feeling of Pool Play Thursday, and there could not be a better example than the matchup between the top two teams in our men’s division power rankings: Revolver vs. Machine. It’s a matchup that never would have happened in the old seeding system. The Revolver of old — who, once upon a time, won five titles in eight years — appear to back after absolutely dominating the regular season, going 20-1 and winning every tournament they played (including Pro Champs, where they defeated Machine 15-11). Michael Ing is playing the best ultimate of his career, and every single player on this Bay Area squad seems in sync with each other.
However, the favorites to win Nationals may have their work cut out for them even in pool play, as Machine could very well be the second-best team at Nationals. Chicago proved at Pro Champs that their much-hyped roster was as stacked as the pundits predicted, shaking off any doubt from a shorthanded US Open. Daan De Marrée was just ranked first in the men’s top 25 club player rankings and is surrounded by an all-star cast of athletes. Possibly the most exciting matchup of Thursday, this Revolver and Machine round three game could very well be a preview of Sunday’s final.
#4 Fort Collins shame. vs #3 Minneapolis Drag’n Thrust
Mixed Pool D – 3:45 pm PT
One of the best rivalries in the mixed division that’s arisen in the last few years has to be between Minneapolis Drag’n Thrust and Fort Collins shame. Of their eleven meetings, an incredible six have gone to universe point – including each of the last three (Pro Champs 2024, Nationals 2024, PEC West 2025). To say there’s history between the two would be an understatement.
And although this time the stakes are technically lower than last year’s quarterfinals, whole lot still rides on a win, because whoever does most likely will lock up the pool. Avoiding a prequarters game could be critical to each team’s longevity if they want the best chance to make a run at this tournament. With Drag’n Thrust’s Caleb Denecour and Chagall Gelfand and shame.’s Jade McLaughlin, Rory Veldman, and Matty Russell all recently making Ultiworld’s top 25 mixed club player list, the game is stacked with firepower. History, talent, and Pool D supremacy are all in play, making this a must-watch stream to close out Thursday’s slate.
#8 Portland Schwa vs #10 Pittsburgh Parcha
Women’s Pool A – 11:15 am PT
Picture this, it’s the Elite-Select Challenge this August, and both Portland Schwa and Pittsburgh Parcha have both cruised through all their games on the weekend. Yet, a combination of lightning delays, heat warnings, and flight schedules changed the timeline for the final, and it was shortened to just half-time, leaving both players and fans with a sour taste in their mouths. (Technically, it was a Parcha win.)
Well, fantastic news for everyone, because the two squads will face off in round two of pool play on Thursday to settle their unfinished business. Schwa are coming off a dominant regional final win over Seattle Riot and look to keep their second seed in the pool. Meanwhile, Parcha just put together their best regular season as a program, placing second at PEC East and winning the 7-5 (half-)game over Schwa at ESC. Will Parcha be able to defend the ESC win in a game to 15? Are Schwa going to be better than we thought after their regional performance? This game has all the ingredients for quite the spectacle.
#2 Washington DC Scandal vs #9 Denver Molly Brown
Women’s Pool C – 9:00 am PT
For the women’s division showcase game, fans are treated to a classic battle between two stalwart teams: Washington DC Scandal and Denver Molly Brown. Usually, we see these two teams in bracket play, but this year Molly Brown’s rockier-than-usual regular season treats us to a pool play matchup. The Denver squad stumbled to a 4-7 record in TCT competition and struggled to play to the caliber we’ve seen in previous years.
But this is Nationals. With their roster finally together – including three World Games standouts who all cracked Ultiworld’s Top 25 Club Players list – expect Molly Brown to shift to a higher gear when it counts. A win against Scandal would be a perfect way to prove the doubters wrong. Since Molly Brown won the title in 2022, beating DC in semis, Scandal have owned this matchup, going 4-0. Claire Trop is once again — according to the pundits, at least — decidedly the best player in the division, and Scandal have title eyes after being so close the last couple of years. To Scandal, a win would be a strong confidence booster going into bracket play.
#6 New York XIST vs #7 Sacramento Tower
Mixed Pool B – 11:15 am PT
This is a matchup of two teams with something to prove. New York XIST are the two seed in the algorithm, but have yet to reach the final of any TCT event this season. A lopsided semifinal loss to Hybrid at Pro Champs — along with earlier prequarters and quarters exits — clouds what might otherwise look like a tidy 17-5 record for the New Yorkers. That’s not to say XIST should be counted out. Jolie Krebs was just voted the best player in the mixed division in Ultiworld’s top 25 player rankings, and she headlines one of only two rosters to defeat Hybrid this year.
XIST will be eager to validate their top-of-pool status, but to do so they will have to prove it against a rising Sacramento Tower roster. After losing out on their bid when stars Robyn Fennig and Tyler Bacon weren’t at Elite-Select Challenge, Tower reminded everyone of their ceiling at Regionals, conquering arguably the toughest region in the division. Tower aren’t just fighting for a spot in the bracket, they are a crew looking to make some serious noise on Friday and Saturday. A win against XIST would send a clear message to the rest of the field that Tower are not a team you want to see in elimination play.
#5 Portland Rhino vs #6 Raleigh Ring of Fire
Men’s Pool D – 3:45 pm PT
The two teams that look most likely to lock up Pool D are two men’s club stalwarts, Portland Rhino and Raleigh Ring of Fire. Defending national champs Rhino haven’t quite found replicated success this 2025 season, going only 8-8 in the regular season. These struggles surely won’t faze Rhino though, as they are a team who play to peak in San Diego, as seen last year. There’s no reason whatsoever to believe the team with the most World Games players won’t look dialed by late October.
Ring, on the other hand, also struggled to start the season before a bounceback Pro Champs, where they proved they are still in the upper echelon of elite men’s club. Despite some high-profile departures, Ring 2025 are hungry for a statement win. Maybe the most exciting part of this matchup is that these two teams have not met since the 2023 Pro Champs. Anything could happen, making this men’s pool play game a priority watch for all fans.
#15 Philadelphia AMP vs #19 Savannah Conspiracy
Mixed Pool D – 3:45 pm PT
Despite all the theatrics and seriousness of Club Nationals, sometimes we need reminders of what a silly, fun sport we play. And for this tournament, that team is Conspiracy. After being seeded a whopping ninth at Regionals, Savannah Conspiracy1 beat ‘Shine for the third bid in the Southeast. Mind you, Conspiracy did not call lines once, and were even said to be drinking beers in pool play the day before. Maybe to their surprise, Conspiracy are headed to the Golden State for the biggest tournament of any of its players’ careers, where they will most likely need to defeat Philadelphia AMP to make the bracket.
You can make the argument that AMP represent everything serious about ultimate. They held, for a time, one of the longest National Championship streaks in the club division, they’re year-in, year-out competitors, they won Nationals twice, and they do not like it when you make a joke of throwing your hat at the disc. AMP are looking to prove themselves once again as a Nationals program after missing out on the Big Show last year, and defeating Conspiracy will be their first big task. In a battle of serious versus fun, who will prevail?
Who only have six players from Savannah ↩
