WUCC 2026: Cutting to Eight in Each Division (Day Five Recap)

The bracket kicked off in earnest, with favorites falling and universe point games aplenty!

August 19, 2026 by Aidan Thomas and Rhea Patney in Recap

Ultiworld’s coverage of the 2026 WFDF World Ultimate Club Championships is 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.

Mixed Division

Turbulence Topples Manly Mosh in Match of the Morning

No.13 Tartu Turbulence was a dangerous draw for No.3 Manly Mosh in the Round of 32, and the starpowered Estonian squad proved exactly why on Wednesday morning, sending the title hopefuls packing early with a 15-14 upset win to advance to the Round of 16. Jakub Tamm led the way with five goals and two assists, while Tanner Johnson-Go and Marin Raba each specialized, with Johnson-Go notching five assists, and Raba scoring five times.

Tartu was in control most of the way, reeling off three first-half breaks to go up 8-4. They maintained that advantage and added a fourth break to go up 13-9, all while their offense remained unbroken. Manly Mosh got some momentum on their ensuing hold, as Luke Prosser came down with a huge sky through contact to get within three points. Then, the Australian powerhouse woke up their D-line, ripping off three straight breaks off the previous perfect Tartu offense. While it was largely self-inflicted mistakes by Tartu – a misread huck, dropped centering pass, and sloppily executed short backhand reset – the Manly Mosh D-line was perfect in their counters and they knotted the score at 13-13.

A clean hold stabilized Tartu as the rain picked up, and Prosser made another strong catch in the end zone to force universe for the No.3 seed. On double game point, it was the stars that got it done for Tartu: Johnson-Go ripped a huck to Tamm who boxed out for a strong grab as the throw was held up in the wind. A few throws later, Raba collected the game-winner and Turbulence moved on.

Round of 32: The Round of Near-Upsets

No.1 Hybrid and No.6 XIST (despite the nominal seed received by the New York side) were the pre-tournament favorites to meet in the final, and they continued their march towards a clash for the gold with easy Round of 32 wins, with Hybrid toppling No.14 Academia, 15-6, and XIST blitzing No.28 Hammers Bs As, 15-5. No.8 Tiefseetaucher joined the USA squads in breezing into the Round of 16, handling No.26 Top Ultimate Mix, 15-5.

However, for other top seeds, things were, at moments, a little dicier. No. 4 Mosquitos Klosterneuburg was down a break early against No.48 Aethers Warsaw, and led just 10-9 in the second half before ending on a 5-1 run. The lowest seed in the field, Aethers Warsaw put on an admirable effort to challenge for a spot in the final 16, as Zuzanna Madej (9 Assists, 12 Goals in the tournament) and Maciej Litwiński (15 Assists, 4 Goals) displayed their talents on a global stage.

No.2 Odyssée struggled even more with No.45 Outsiterz, trailing 12-10 in the waning moments of the game. However, after a much-needed hold by the second seed, Felix Leonard authored two straight breaks, delivering key assists to put the Canadian squad back on top. Christian Mathieu connected with Lilaya Pinsonnault Henriquez for a third straight break, as Odyssée ended on a 4-0 spurt to avoid a shocking upset. Outsiterz was powered by a three-headed monster in Alex Čabala, Svätoslav Bollo, and Martin Bachratý, as Bollo had four assists in the near-upset.

No.5 Deep Space never trailed in their Round of 32 versus No.25 CUS Padova Rangers, but it was far from comfortable, as a late break by Padova evened the score at 11-11. Like many of their fellow favorites, Deep Space took a breath and finished strong, ending on a 4-1 run to win, 15-12, but it was another close call for a team eyeing a deep bracket run. Khalif El-Salaam was a notable and well-known star for CUS Padova Rangers and performed well, but the lynchpins of the offense were Christopher Colicchio and Alberto Girotto, who have combined for 30 assists in Limerick.

Additionally, No.10 Royals had a difficult draw with No.11 JANDLUX, but they broke to go up 9-7 and never let their opponents draw even, pushing forward into the next round.

Finally, not even the American side, No.7 shame. was completely immune to bracket play close calls. No.27 Chilly broke the seventh-seeded squad out of Fort Collins for an immediate 2-0 lead and didn’t go away easily. Ultimately, shame. led by multiple goals in the whole second half, but Chilly notched three breaks to constantly stay within striking distance. Michael Kelly led the underdogs with three goals in the losing effort.

In other results, No. 17 Union, No. 21 ZU Splash, No.24 33 Tours No. 33 Zamperl, No. 36 Monkey, No. 39 SuperNova, and No. 35 Huwa won and ensured they would break seed through their progression to the Round of 16.

Round of 16

If the Round of 32 was full of drama, the Round of 16 had significantly less, as, although some top seeds were pushed a little harder, largely the expected names forged forward into the quarterfinals. Hybrid gave up more than seven points for the first time all week but led wire to wire over Union, and Tiefseetaucher cruised to their seventh win of the week, throttling ZU Splash, setting up a quarterfinal clash with Hybrid. Mosquitos and Deep Space each handled their business, setting up a classic 4v5 battle in the quarterfinals, as Mosquitos knocked off the starpowered Tartu Turbulence squad, and Deep Space knocked off 33 Tours.

XIST certainly got pushed harder than they had all week, as their clash with No.39 SuperNova started with 13 straight holds, before the New York side broke to take an 8-6 lead. SuperNova broke back to knot the score, 8-8, and XIST finally seemingly hit their stride, going on a 5-1 run to finally put away the 39th-seed. Christopher Lung starred for the underdogs with six assists, but five goal contributions apiece from Axel Agami Contreras and Jolie Krebs was enough to push XIST into the quarterfinals. There, they’ll meet No.33 Zamperl, who continues to play well beyond their seeding, improving to 6-1 on the week, blasting Monkey, 15-4.

Odyssée recovered from the earlier upset scare to handle Huwa, 15-7, and they’ll march on to face shame., who advanced 15-12 over Royals, jumping out to a 5-1 lead and staving off the Canadian squad, who was led by Justin Podnar’s seven assists.

Notes on the Quarterfinalists

• Hybrid has been dominant all week, with their 15-10 Round of 16 game being their closest result. Jared Schwallie and Ian McNamara have impressed with their facilitation, combining for 24 assists, while Maketa Mattimore (13 Goals) and Rachel Mast (10 Goals) on the receiving end of many of those assists.
• Odyssée survived that Round of 32 scare to improve to 7-0. Kevin Qunlan (21 assists) and Melvyn Brichet (19 assists) will need to continue to spearhead the offensive efforts if they are to challenge shame. in quarterfinals.
• Mosquitos Klosterneuburg is also 7-0, and their 15-12 win over Tartu was their closest result in Ireland to this point. An 11-assist, 12-goal double-double from Johanna Roy has led the way, but Markus Hammerl has been a huge contributor as well with eight assists and 14 goals.
• Deep Space topped a very competitive Pool E. They’ve given up 11+ points four times en route to their seven wins, but they are yet to give up more than 12. Four players — Conor Belfield, Leila Denniston, Ruth Golightly, Tim Gilboy — have authored at least ten assists, while Ian Tait leads with 13 goals.
• XIST, the favorite on the bottom half of the bracket, is 7-0, having just played their closest game in the Round of 16. The roster is littered with well-known stars, but Axel Agami Contreras has been the best of the bunch with 13 assists and 11 goals.
• shame. got pushed decently hard on Wednesday, playing two games to 15-12 scorelines, their closest results of the tournament. Depth has played a big role for the Colorado-based squad this week, as in their Round of 16 game, at least 18 players notched a goal or assist. Samuel Goldstein is the statistical leader with 21 goal contributions, while Matthew Russell leads with 14 assists, and Blaise Sevier has 14 goals.
• Zamperl is the surprise story of the tournament, and the only squad outside the top eight to reach quarterfinals. They’re 6-1 on the weekend, with their lone loss a virtually meaningless loss to Manly Mosh, where Zamperl seemingly threw in the towel once they had enough points to clinch the pool on point differential. Outside that, it’s been blowout after blowout, including a notable 15-7 win over Union in pool play. While 10 players have at least 10 goal contributions in the tournament, they are led by Felix von Falkenhausen (11 Assists, 6 Goals), Aaron Wolf (12 Assists, 4 Goals), and Emma Falke (1 Assist, 12 Goals), among others. They’ll get their David vs. Goliath opportunity against XIST in the quarterfinals.

Open Division

Round of 32 Results

It was a fairly mundane Round of 32 in the Open Division as most of the favorites advanced, which, for ultimate fans, means we’re one step closer to a highly anticipated quarterfinal round and beyond. The top three seeds — No.1 Revolver, No.2 Machine, and No.3 Mooncatchers — continued to dominate, as nobody has played a game closer than 15-8 against the trio of tournament favorites.

Other favorites, including No.4 Wall City, No.5 Clapham Ultimate, and No.7 PoNY, all won comfortably to advance as well. PoNY’s victory came at the expense of No.6 Nomadic Tribe, who finished with a disappointing 2-4 pre-consolation record. They and No.10 Montreal Mephisto were the only top ten squads to not advance to the Round of 16.

In a largely drama-free round, the game of the round belonged to No.34 Freezzz Beezzz versus No.13 Osaka Spirits, who battled for the right to take on Revolver in the Round of 16. It was a seesaw battle, as Freezzz Beezzz took an 8-5 halftime lead, but they were on the business end of an 8-3 Spirits run and they trailed 13-11. Their ensuing hold featured two turns per team and took over ten minutes of clock time (including a timeout) and made it a game to 14. Osaka Spirits overshot a huck on their first opportunity to close it out, and Freezzz Beezzz countered quickly to force universe.

It was a messy finale, as the teams traded two turns apiece once more. Facing a difficult wind, Osaka turned it a critical third time, with their huck completely popping up in the wind and being easily blocked. Despite really strong endzone defense by the Japanese squad, Lucca Rogissart ultimately whipped a hammer over the top to August Smessaert for the game-winner.

No.12 BFD la Fotta, No.9 Sunder, No.24 Tchac, No.31 Ranelagh, No.16 Cotarica Grandes, No.11 Chevron Action Flash, No.28 Gentle, No.8 GOAT, and No.15 GRUT all advanced as well with victories. Only Grandes (14-12 winners) played a game closer than four points.

Round of 16 Highlights

The Round of 16 featured more dominance from Revolver, Machine, PoNY, and Wall City, saw Mooncatchers and Gentle advance to set up an All-Belgian quarterfinal, and it featured two thrilling double-game-point battles in which Clapham United and Sunder lived to tell the tale.

For Revolver and Machine, it was business as usual, as Revolver took down Freezzz Beezzz 15-4, and Machine handled GRUT, 15-7. Wall City had little issue with Ranelagh, 15-8, and Gentle eased past Chevron Action Flash, 15-9.

PoNY went up 7-3 early on GOAT and never broke much of a sweat, powered by five assists from John Randolph. Mooncatchers faced some resistance for the first time as Cotarica Grandes broke to get within 12-11, but the third-seeded Mooncatchers held and broke twice to see out the result.

That brings us to the meat of the round. Battling for the right to play Revolver in quarterfinals, unbeaten BFD la Fotta did battle with the pride of Australia, No.9 Sunder. With the game tied 9-9, BFD seemingly took control with a hold and two breaks. Undaunted, Sunder replicated that surge with a hold and two breaks of their own, putting things right back on serve at 12-12. Sunder’s run didn’t start with the most clinical of D-line offense, but all that mattered was the conversion and that’s what Charles Paterson gave the Australians with a monster sky and ensuing assist.

After the frenetic stretch of breaks, the two offenses settled down for a pair of clean holds each, leading to double game point, with la Fotta receiving. There, after a would-be layout catch was disrupted by the impact on the ground, the Sunder D-Line put on another fantastic display of “no-no-no-no-YES” offense on the counter. This time it was Rob Andrews rescuing a deflected throw and continuing on for the break score that sends Sunder on to face Revolver. It’ll be a tough road from there but the ninth-seeded Australians have broken seed and will be thrilled to be playing championship bracket ultimate on Thursday.

In the final Round of 16 battle, No.5 Clapham and No.24 Tchac dueled in a battle of momentum swings. After Tchac broke to start, nine straight holds brought the score to 5-5, Clapham ripped off three straight breaks and went up 8-5. However, over the next eight points, Tchac gradually earned each of the three breaks back, finally forging ahead 11-10. The offenses found their groove, with both teams earning quick, clean holds in succession, which set up another universe point. Tchac lapsed in concentration, dropping a high but catchable pass. They played great defense, shutting down upline cuts, under cuts, and reset cuts. They denied seemingly every Clapham option on the counter. But sometimes the disc just doesn’t go your way, as it didn’t here for Tchac on a blady flick prayer that gave Felix Martin just enough of a chance, and that was all he needed for a signature sky.

Notes on the Quarterfinalists

• San Francisco Revolver has not given up more than six points in a game yet. That feels (kind of) likely to change against Sunder in quarterfinals, but it’s been a Bay Area romp in Ireland so far. Everyone’s contributing, and the blowouts allow for plenty of rotation on the lines, but Mac Hecht is still doing Mac Hecht things with 11 assists and five goals.
• Chicago Machine has been on virtually the same level, having not given up more than seven points in a game yet. However, things get a whole lot tougher with PoNY looming in the quarterfinals. Elliot Hawkins has continued to star in his first year with the Chicago outfit, tossing 18 assists to lead the team. Sam McGuckin, who opted to play for Machine instead of fellow quarterfinalist Sunder, leads Chicago with 14 goals.
• Mooncatchers let things get just a touch hairy for a moment, but they’ve largely dominated their competition as well. In shocking news, they’re letting Daan De Marrée run the show, and he’s doing it wonderfully, to the tune of 16 assists and 15 goals. A battle against his fellow Belgian superstar Tobe Decraene awaits.
• Wall City has played only one close game, a 15-13 win over Cotarica Grandes, who pushed Mooncatchers in the Round of 16. They had an easy bracket path on Wednesday and took advantage with two comfortable wins. While the depth is remarkable – six players have at least 15 goal contributions through seven games – it is Frederick Pollmeier that is leading the way with his 16 goals.
• Clapham needed a big-time gut check to ensure that the top five seeds all survived into the quarterfinals, but they got it, thanks to the heroics of Felix Martin. Clapham has walked a bit of a tightrope; whereas Machine and Revolver have yet to see an opponent reach the eight-point mark, every team has done so against Clapham, with five squads getting into double digits, including No.42 Junk, who is 0-6 at WUCC. Wall City will be their biggest test yet, but Clapham has the winning know-how to push through. Veteran Justin Foord has been vintage in Limerick, totaling 17 assists and 12 goals.
• New York PoNY has displayed sloppiness at times, but they’ve ultimately won comfortably to this point, with no game closer than their 15-11 Round of 16 win over GOAT. Predictably, they’re powered by John Randolph, who has 26 goal contributions, evenly split with 13 goals and 13 assists. It’s 11 more scores than anyone else on the roster. Next up is a showdown with Machine.
• Sunder looked rough in their first chance against a USA side, losing to a relatively sloppy PoNY side, 15-10. They’ll get another shot, this time at the vaunted Revolver squad, after edging out BFD la Fotta in a thriller. Outside the loss to PoNY and the 15-14 win on Wednesday, Sunder has dominated all other competition, winning their other five games with a +45 point differential. Rob Andrews has a double-double with 12 assists and 16 goals, and Alexander Gan has 17 goals to lead the way.
• Gentle is ready for their rivalry showdown with Mooncatchers. Their 6-1 record is marred only by a loss to Clapham, and Tobe Decraene is doing otherworldly things with the disc, notching a jaw-dropping 34 assists so far. He’ll need more where that came from to upend Mooncatchers.

Women’s Division

Brute Squad Knocks off Macana in Championship-caliber Clash

No.2 Boston Brute Squad took down No.1 Macana, 15-10, in a championship-caliber Round of 16 matchup, ending Macana’s run before the quarterfinals. The game opened with a pair of holds, including a Kelly Hyland layout score to give Brute Squad the first point. Macana answered with Isabella Moreno finishing off a quick give-and-go sequence with Manu Cárdenas, and the teams traded holds from there.

Brute Squad created the first separation with a break to go up 8-6, as María Forero found Levke Walczak after a backfield turnover from Macana. The Colombians immediately answered with a hold and then a break of their own. Sharonid Lopez Bautista then made a huge layout block on Macana’s own goal line to give the team a short field, and Valeria Cárdenas connected with Karem Sosa Sarmiento. Brute Squad responded with three straight scores to take half and establish a 8-5 lead.

Macana opened the second half with a hold, with Claire Chastain finding Valeria Cárdenas (love a Molly Brown connection). The teams traded holds again before Brute Squad delivered the decisive break at 12-8, with Olivia Player finding Walczak. Macana never found the run it needed to close the gap, and Brute Squad closed out the 15-10 victory.

Hyland led Brute Squad with four goals, while Laura Ospina Gómez recorded four assists. For Macana, Chastain scored four times and Cárdenas finished with three goals and three assists.

Round of 16: Upsets Reshape the Quarterfinals

No.7 Washington DC Scandal took down No.4 Ellipsis, 15-10, sending one of the tournament’s top-four seeds out of the championship bracket. Kat McGuire shined for DC, putting up five goals, and Tyler Smith added three assists. Scandal advances to the quarterfinals, where it will face Brute Squad in a preview of what we will probably see in a late round of USAU Club Nationals.

No.19 GRUT delivered the biggest upset by seed, dismantling No.9 Rogue, 15-1. It was the latest statement in an already impressive tournament for GRUT, which has now knocked off three higher-seeded opponents. The 19th seed previously took down No.13 Iris and Macana, but this one was especially emphatic, with GRUT thoroughly controlling the game from start to finish in a complete team effort. No.8 Toronto 6ixers advanced with a 14-9 win over No.10 SWAMPYBARG, powered by the Molly duo: Molly Lewis led the way with five assists and a goal, while Molly Wedge added two assists and two goals to help drive the 6ixers offense. GRUT and 6ixers will face off in the quarterfinals.

No.5 TOKYO MAVERICKS edged out No.6 MUD, 14-12, in one of the closer games of the Round of 16. Riko Yanagihara (3 Assists, 4 Goals) and Kaede Yoshida (3 Assists, 3 Goals) accounted for 10 of Tokyo’s 14 scores.

No.12 Mooncup also advanced with a close win, defeating No.18 BFD Shout in a game defined by runs. BFD Shout opened with two breaks to take an early advantage, but Mooncup responded with three straight scores to swing the momentum back. BFD Shout answered with a four-score run of its own in the middle of the game, but Mooncup had the final response, closing out the game with two straight scores to secure the win and a spot in the quarterfinals where they will face TOKYO MAVERICKS.

No.3 San Francisco Fury cruised into the quarterfinals with a 15-4 win over No.16 NLSU Yaka. The win was a thoroughly balanced team effort, with 17 different Fury players recording at least one goal or assist. No.14 Vancouver Seacows rounded out the championship-bracket results with a 15-11 win over No.11 Tequila Boom Boom. The Ella Bolan and Mika Kurahashi offensive duo never disappoints, with Bolan putting up 7 assists and 3 goals and Kurahashi adding 4 assists and 2 goals. This UBC-lite team advances to face perennial heavyweight No. 3 Fury in the quarterfinals.

Notes on the Quarterfinalists

• Brute Squad: A perfect 6-0 so far and one of the clearest title contenders remaining. Liv Player leads their tournament in goals with 11 and has added seven assists, while Kelly Hyland also has 11 goals. Mangie Forero has been the primary facilitator with 11 assists, with Levke Walczak adding 10 goals and seven assists. Brute Squad has the experience and firepower to make a deep run.
• Fury: Another unbeaten powerhouse at 6-0, but perhaps most impressive is the team’s depth: every player on the roster has recorded at least one goal or assist this tournament. That kind of balance makes Fury difficult to game-plan against, and a potential semifinal against Brute Squad would be a marquee Friday matchup.
• TOKYO MAVERICKS: Tokyo is also 6-0, including an impressive upset of Macana. Its last two games have been close, though, which could prove valuable if the Mavericks find themselves in another tight game against Mooncup. Riko Yanagihara (13 goals, 13 assists) and Kaede Yoshida (17 goals, eight assists) have formed one of the tournament’s most productive duos.
• Scandal: Scandal enters the quarterfinals at 6-0, with its closest game coming in a three-point pool-play win over SWAMPYBARG. Jess Oh, Kira Flores, and Tyler Smith have each recorded 10 assists, while Kat McGuire leads the team with 14 goals and Allie Wallace has added 10. They’ll have a difficult test against Brute Squad, but their depth gives them a legitimate chance to challenge the second seed.
• 6ixers: The 6ixers are 6-0, but they’ll face the hottest team in the tournament in GRUT. The Toronto side has plenty of firepower of its own, led by the Dos Santos duo: Brittney has 12 assists and four goals, while Krystal has 10 goals. They’ll need that production to keep pace with a GRUT team that has been rolling through higher seeds.
• Mooncup: Mooncup is sitting at 5-1 after falling to the 6ixers in pool play. Eva Bornot has been a major scoring threat with 15 goals and five assists, while Carmen La Gala has 11 assists and 10 goals. Like Tokyo, Mooncup has played two tight games to close out the Round of 16, setting up a potentially fascinating matchup between two teams accustomed to close finishes.
• Seacows: Call them UBC-lite. The Seacows have brought together a collection of recent and former UBC players, led by Mika Kurahashi (16 assists, 12 goals) and Ella Bolan (17 assists, six goals), with older UBC alum Anna Goddu adding 15 goals. Their only loss came to Brute Squad in pool play, 15-9. Now they’ll get a chance to knock off another heavyweight in Fury, and an upset would be a major moment for this young group.
• GRUT: No team enters the quarterfinals with more momentum. GRUT is 6-0 and has already taken down No. 1 Macana, No. 13 Iris and No. 9 Rogue, turning the 19th seed into the tournament’s biggest surprise. Floor Keulartz has 12 assists, while Lola Dam has exploded for 20 goals — twice as many as the team’s next-highest scorer, Kristyna Tlustá. At this point, the question is how far this run can go.