Who made the top 25?
August 14, 2026 by Sean Colfer in Rankings
The World Ultimate Club Championships will be taking place in Limerick, starting on Saturday 15 August. The tournament is in Europe, dozens of European teams are taking part, and thousands of European players will be competing at the event. But who among them is the best?
The women’s division has been the most exciting in Europe for neutral observers for the last few years. A crop of extremely talented young players is spread across several teams across the continent and the top teams have been beating each other up for the last two seasons, with some phenomenal games the result. BFD Shout remain one of the biggest powers in Europe, while NLSU Yaka recovered from a difficult 2024 EUCF to make semis again last year. Mooncup and GRUT have both emerged as powers in the last two years, with the Belgians winning two silvers in the last two years and GRUT taking home the 2024 title in their first year in the division. There is strength outside of the top four, too: jinX Midnight and Tequila Boom Boom have both made semis in the last two years, while teams like Iceni and East Block have also pushed into the top six.
The two-time runners-up Mooncup put the most players on this list with seven. The women’s division features nine teams, the most in this exercise, and unlike the other divisions also features players starring on non-European teams at WUCC. Teams in parentheses are who each player will be playing with at WUCC.
1. Charlotte Schall (BFD Shout, Italy) ⬆️ 1
The German was second last time we did these rankings and has ascended to the top this time around. Her continued excellence for Shout, alongside her stellar showings for Germany at the World Games last year, mean she is the best bet to consistently change games in Europe. She plays all over the field for the European champions, often starting downfield as an initiating cutter to take best advantage of her throwing ability, but she’s more than capable of playing QB and dominating the offense when the moment calls for it.
2. Levke Walczak (Brute Squad, USA) ⬆️ 1
Another German World Games star, Walczak needs no introduction to players on either side of the Atlantic. Last season she dominated for Brute Squad in the USAU final and became a world champion with Germany Mixed at WBUC. Walczak is an outstanding athlete, a very good deep thrower, and one of the best in the world at pulling defenses apart with quick disc movement, to say nothing of her incredible defensive instincts and ability to read the game.
3. Carmen La Gala (Mooncup, Belgium) NEW
La Gala has emerged as one of the best playmakers in Europe. Her ability to get free downfield and stretch the pitch to hit the end zone has made Mooncup an incredibly difficult cover throughout her time with the Belgians. With Mooncup’s roster featuring so much talent, her throwing is maximized, and she and her teammates continue to dominate. Stopping La Gala will be foremost in the mind of coaches and captains facing Mooncup at WUCC.
4. Lison Bornot (Mooncup, Belgium) ⬆️ 7
Bornot has been exceptional for the last two seasons. She took on an additional burden at the World Games after her sister was injured, playing many of the biggest points for the French team as they won bronze. She has been one of the emotional leaders of Mooncup for the same period, providing do-it-all play on both lines to boot. There’s very little that she doesn’t do at a high level, and she’s proven that she can play in the biggest moments, too.
5. Floor Keulartz (GRUT, Netherlands) ⬆️ 2
Keulartz has continued to improve and play a massive role for GRUT over the last two years. When the team switched to the women’s division, it was obvious they were an immediate contender, but winning the division at the first time of asking wasn’t at the top of the odds list going into the season. A three-assist, two-goal performance in the final to take home the title showed her ability to make an impact. She has moved across both lines this season and remains a vital chess piece for the Dutch team.
6. Eva Bornot (Mooncup, Belgium) ⬇️ 1
To start the year, the younger Bornot was coming off a season with jinX Midnight that was curtailed by a wrist injury which saw her miss the World Games with France. She has returned to Mooncup to play with her sister1 and has seemingly returned with a bang. Her athleticism means she can cover the opposition’s best player while also playing as an initiator and a play finisher on offense, depending on what the team needs. Her versatility comes with no downsides, other than the fact her team can’t play two or three of her at once.
7. Anna Gerner (jinX Midnight, Germany) ⬇️ 6
Gerner was the winner last time this exercise took place, but she remains a player that opposition teams have to game plan around. Her ability to control the tempo of the game hasn’t changed, and she is still able to go downfield and destroy mismatched handler marks when she needs to. A heartbreaking semis loss at EUCF 2024 was followed up by a shock loss in quarters last year, but jinX will be a very tough matchup for anyone at WUCC, with Gerner a prime reason.
8. Sarah Eklund (GRUT, Netherlands) ⬇️ 4
Eklund remains one of the tougher covers in the women’s division. Her height, speed and catching ability has made her a nightmare for well over a decade now, and she continues to contribute at an elite level for one of the best teams in Europe.
9. Lola Dam (GRUT, Netherlands) ⬆️ 9
If this were being compiled at the end of this season, Dam is a prime candidate to move up this list. Not content with being one of the best European defenders of the last decade, she has moved to the O-line this season and has continued dominating. A big WUCC and EUCF, and Dam could soon be closer to the top three than number 10.
10. Aurora Lešnik (GRUT, Netherlands) NEW
Lešnik has been one of the best stories in European ultimate since her return two years ago. Once a highly touted, high-flying junior player, she took time away from the sport and re-emerged with GRUT as an explosive, powerful defender whose pulls and big throws drove GRUT to glory. She’s now playing on offense as well and has shown that her skillset translates to basically any setting. She has also played in USAU competition and has made appearances for a number of all-star teams as her name recognition grows.
11. Chloé Ollivier (NLSU Yaka, France) NEW
Ollivier has become one of the best all-around players in Europe in the last two years, progressing from promising young player to World Games-level star. She was another part of the France Mixed team that won bronze at WUC in Gold Coast2 and has been a central figure in NLSU Yaka pushing back into the top four discussion after failing to reach the top eight at EUCF in 2024.
12. Elena Benghi (BFD Shout, Italy) ⬆️ 11
Benghi has become one of the cornerstones of the Shout program over the last few years, anchoring the offense and providing consistent, reliable disc movement. Her size makes her a dangerous threat downfield but she does almost all of her work in the reset space, and does it very well.
13. Irene Scazzieri (Fury, USA) ⬇️ 7
This ranking seems to have something of whether a tree that falls in the woods makes a sound to it. Scazzieri is not seven places worse than she was last time, but has played the vast majority of her ultimate in the US in the last few years and so might have been out of people’s minds. That will change in Limerick.
14. Nicole Lafiata (Tequila Boom Boom, Italy) 🟰
Lafiata remains one of the players that has the largest role on their team in all of Europe. Alongside Lucrezia Grossi, Lafiata regularly puts up gaudy numbers and was able to drive the Rimini team into the semis of EUCF last year with her outstanding deep throws and ability to win reliably as a cutter as well as a handler.
15. Molly Wedge (6ixers, Canada) NEW
Wedge had a successful World Games with her native Canada after playing for Great Britain at the previous version. She has played for Bristol for years, but will be representing a Canadian team again on the world stage at WUCC. Her all-around game has basically no holes, and she provides leadership that is very difficult to replicate.
16. Ava Mueller (BFD Shout, Italy) NEW
Mueller has played for Shout for several years and has fit into their handler set beautifully. With Benghi and Casarini able to play the kind of small-ball style that Italian teams have come to be known for, Mueller is more like a Rhino player. Her deep shots are the best in the division and help Shout make huge gains in a hurry.
17. Kristýna Tlustá (GRUT, Netherlands) ⬇️ 9
Tlustá has had some teething problems adapting her game to GRUT’s system and playing with teammates other than those she grew up with at East Block, but her talent is undeniable. Injury issues also slowed her last year but against elite competition she will be as reliable an option as any in Europe to keep tempo high and will give and go with the best of them.
18. Camille Blanc (Mooncup, Belgium) NEW
Cami Blocks is a thrilling player to watch. Capable of cartoonish-looking layout bids and fast enough to close a buffer shockingly quickly, she is going to take the best players on the other team and she is going to get her hands on the disc. The only question is how often she’ll do it.
19. Maïwenn Le Duc (Mooncup, Belgium) NEW
Le Duc exploded onto the scene a few years ago with soaring catches and massive layout blocks. The youngster3 has continued to make those incredible plays since but has added more refinement, and is now much more of an all-around threat while retaining the ability to be a matchup nightmare.
20. Paulina Lewandowska (jinX Midnight, Germany) NEW
Lewandowska’s consistency and ability to challenge defences downfield have been huge boons to jinX’s offense since she joined the team, and have made her one of the most reliable players in Europe. Her ability to distribute frees up teammates like Gerner to be all-around threats.
21. Julia Harris (Mooncup, Belgium) NEW
Another of the stars of Mooncup’s incredible offensive unit, Harris fills in seemingly every gap that she needs to. Throwing, cutting, defense, it doesn’t matter what the team needs from her, Harris will provide it.
22. Salomé Raulet (Mooncup, Belgium) NEW
Raulet was yet another part of the France World Games team that is suiting up for Mooncup this season, and has been a huge addition to the Belgian team. She anchors the offense as a handler, distributes well and makes sure that everything happens when it needs to. Opposing defenses will know that stopping her is crucial to making inroads on the Mooncup O line.
23. Susana Casarini (BFD Shout, Italy) NEW
Casarini is one of the leaders of the Shout program and has transitioned from being a reliable defensive handler to part of a hugely successful O line handler group seamlessly. She can play both ways and very rarely makes a bad choice.
24. Martina Kmecová (BFD Shout, Italy) ⬇️ 7
Kmecová has become a reliable thrower and offensive piece after starting out as the pre-eminent zone deep in Europe. Her height is an obvious reason for her ability to score and create yards downfield, but she’s also a very good athlete who can really jump. You add that vertical ability to her height and it’s basically a cheat code.
25. Swann Lacoste (NLSU Yaka, France) NEW
Lacoste is one of the young players that YAKA have built around in recent years, and has responded by improving seemingly every year. She was an alternate for France’s World Games team in the same year she was one of the key drivers of France’s WJUC win over the United States4 and is one of the best young handlers on the continent.
All photos by Oliver Hülshorst for EUF unless otherwise noted.
And a legion of French World Games players, as we will see later. ↩
Alongside the Bornots and two more players further down this list, Camille Blanc and Swann Lacoste-Lefevre. ↩
Despite playing in two EUCF finals and being one of the best players in Europe for several years, Le Duc is horrifyingly young for the washed amongst us and is coming off a starring role with Belgium’s under-20 women in Spain this summer. ↩
Alongside Camille Blanc, also on this list. ↩
