Just three games left in the UFA season to decide the 2026 champion!
August 26, 2026 by Alex Rubin in Recap
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Another exciting UFA season will conclude this week as four challengers — the Minnesota Wind Chill, Austin Sol, Oakland Spiders, and New York Empire — gather together in Madison to compete for the league trophy.
For those who cannot make it to Breese Stevens Field, the two semifinal games will be broadcast live on watchufa.tv on Thursday evening. The UFA Championship game — as well as the PUL vs. WUL All-Star Game — will air live on YouTube on Friday.
Let’s break down each of the teams and games this weekend!
Oakland Spiders (11-1)
Key Players: Dan Ritthaler, Jason Vallee, Leo Gordon
How They Got Here: The Spiders started this season on a tear, winning their first 5 games by at least 10 goals. Though they dropped a midseason matchup at home against the Wind Chill, Oakland comfortably beat all divisional opponents and ultimately made it back to Championship Weekend for the first time since they won their last title in 2015.
Why They’ll Win It All: Historically speaking, the Spiders always win the title when they compete at Championship Weekend, which they last did in 2014 and 2015. In the decade or so since, Oakland has moved to a new city (from San Jose) and completely remade their team. This version does not rely on hucks to UFA legend Beau Kittridge but rather on a pacey small-ball offense that rarely hucks at all. Leo Gordon, Walker Frankenberg, Raekwon Adkins, Dexter Clyburn, and Adam Rees have formed an incredible partnership in the midfield. It is very telling that all of the Spiders’ O-line mainstays have similar goal and assist totals. They move as interchangeable pieces on the field, content to work together to score rather than rely on any one player. That kind of offense is incredibly difficult to defend; the Spiders gave up the fewest blocks in the league to their opponents this season. If they’re able to sustain that level of offensive success, none of the teams at Championship Weekend will be able to slow down the Spiders.
New York Empire (10-2)
Key Players: Alex Atkins, Daan De Marrée, Ben Jagt
How They Got Here: An early loss to the DC Breeze did not deter New York. Throughout the early part of the season, the Empire were stunningly dominant. Though they took another loss to Boston in early June, the Empire rebounded to dominate their other opponents, entering Championship Weekend with a league-leading 8.3 average point differential. The Empire avenged both of their losses, taking down Boston 24-21 last week in the East Division final to return to Championship Weekend.
Why They’ll Win It All: By the eye test, New York looks like the best team in the league, and they’ve done this before. In 2022 and 2023, the Empire rode a string of victories all the way to titles, and many of the same players who won those titles are still on the team. Of course, their new pieces like Daan De Marrée and Alex Atkins make a big difference in addition to stalwarts like Ben Jagt, Jack Williams, and John Randolph. In addition to historical precedent, the Empire have the same case as the Spiders: their offense is incredible. The 2026 Empire have the best hold rate in the league (79.5%), the most scores per game (25.6), and the fewest turnovers per game (11.1). If they’re able to sustain that level of offensive success, none of the teams at Championship Weekend will be able to slow down the Empire.
Oakland vs. New York (Thursday, August 27, 5pm CT)
We last saw this matchup in April 2025, when the Spiders announced themselves as contenders with a 22-17 victory over New York in the 2025 season opener. That game was in Oakland and was of course played before the Empire added Atkins and De Marrée. This game will be played at a neutral site (although one that New York has already played at, at Championship Weekend in 2022) and both teams have added lots of new players since then.
The similarities in this game are clear: they have the two top offenses in the league, playing different styles but garnering similar results. Likewise, their defenses rate statistically among the league’s best. The contrasts are just as interesting. New York as a team has been to this stage before, but their best players have not. Oakland has been growing together as a team but has a young roster that has not played under the brightest lights yet in the UFA. Their on-field play acts as a contrast too. New York finished the season in the top five in hucks per game, while Oakland finished in the bottom five. This game is lining up to deliver everything that Championship Weekend should: two teams executing two different strategies at a high level to see who is better.
It should be noted too that many (though of course not all) of the players in this matchup just faced off in the World Club Championships final, where San Francisco Revolver took down New York PoNY. No doubt the New Yorkers would love to get some revenge in the league that they’ve dominated since the post-COVID restart.
Austin Sol (11-1)
Key Players: Kyle Henke, Evan Swiatek, Owen Johnson
How They Got Here: Austin set the tone for their season with a double overtime victory over favored Atlanta in week one. The Sol went on to win all five of their one-goal games, including the South Division championship game against the Carolina Flyers. Road wins over San Diego and Atlanta later in the season helped Austin clinch the top seed in the division and keep home field advantage throughout the divisional playoffs. Now, Austin heads to their second Championship Weekend in four years hoping to take lessons learned from their first trip and improve one more time.
Why They’ll Win It All: The Sol are one of the grittest, most clutch teams that this league has seen in a long time. Their record in close games is stellar, and they always seem to play their best in the biggest moments. The Sol’s suffocating handler defense during their second half run against Carolina changed the tide of that game and propelled Austin to their second Championship Weekend appearance. If they can tailor another game plan to disrupt what the Wind Chill like to do on offense, there’s no reason to think that the Sol will run out of fourth quarter magic. The second part of the Sol formula is building an offense that can withstand significant defensive pressure. The Kyle Henke offensive experience continues to be a chaotic good on the field, and the Sol have built a team around him that accentuates his strengths and still manages to hold consistently when it matters. When a team can muster up enough moxie on both sides of the disc, it is hard to ignore the potential for great success.
Minnesota Wind Chill (11-1)
Key Players: Will Brandt, Paul Krenik, Nate De Morgan
How They Got Here: In previous years, the Wind Chill looked like an above-average team during the regular season before reaching another gear in the playoffs. In 2026, Minnesota couldn’t sneak up on teams anymore and played the role of favorite all season long. They won every in-division matchup by multiple goals and beat Oakland on the road in a notoriously tough stadium. Their one loss to Boston came by just a single goal. This season, the Wind Chill challenged themselves and delivered championship worthy performances every single week.
Why They’ll Win It All: If any team can one-up the Sol for their fourth quarter magic quota, it’s the Wind Chill, whose playoff runs over the last half decade are littered with late comebacks. For the most part this season, they didn’t need any wild endings as the Wind Chill have developed from scrappy underdogs into a bona fide juggernaut. The continued development of Will Brandt and Gordon Larson as well as the emergence of Zach Morton as a goal-scoring threat help the offense thrive while allowing the team to devote more playmakers like Justin Burnett and Lukas Ambrose to the D-line. This is the most balanced Wind Chill team of the last half-decade, and that includes the team that already won a championship! With what will be on paper an easier semifinal (though surely the game will be physically tough), the Wind Chill will be favored to make the final for the third straight season.
Austin vs. Minnesota (Thursday, August 27, 7:30pm CT)
These two teams have never faced off before, but based on recent history, this game is sure to be full of highlights. Both Austin and Minnesota lean into their gritty defensive identity and do their best to upset what their opponents do well. So, this might not be the cleanest game of ultimate ever played, but there are sure to be some big plays.
Honestly, it is difficult to predict exactly what this game will entail. Both teams are in the top quartile statistically in every major category. The big difference between them is that the Sol tend to get more blocks while the Wind Chill average more breaks per game. The Wind Chill also played a notably tougher schedule even in an arguably weaker division: they had eight games against playoff teams this regular season including a pair against Championship Weekend teams. Austin had just five games against playoff teams and none against teams in Madison this weekend.
If the Sol come up with another round of critical fourth quarter blocks, they’ll have a good chance to win this one, but if it’s the Wind Chill punching in their chances time and time again, then it will more likely than not turn into a third straight title game appearance for Minnesota.
The winner of the two semifinal games will face off on Friday. August 28 at 7:00pm Central Time at Breese Stevens Field.
PUL vs. WUL All-Star Game (Friday, Aug 28, 4pm CT)
For the second straight year, all three semi-professional ultimate leagues are collaborating to host an exciting event: the Premier Ultimate League vs. Western Ultimate League All-Star game will take place at Championship Weekend before the UFA title game. The rosters have already been released, and the stars are all out. Get ready to see the likes of Ultiworld’s 2025 Player of the Year Rachel Mast, World Games alternate Lindsay McKenna, D-I Offensive Player of the Year runner up Quincy Booth, and All-Club first teamer Dena Elimelech play on the PUL side. The WUL stars include 2024 WUL MVP Abby Thorpe, Robyn Fennig (too many awards to name), and two-time All-American first teamer and 2026 WUL Breakout Player of the Year Kennedy McCarthy.
Last season, the PUL, who were expected to lose soundly, jumped out to a 10-2 lead before the WUL won the third quarter and kept the score respectable. With few returning players from that game on either roster, this year has the potential for a great back-and-forth showdown while also highlighting more talent that might not be as recognizable to the typical UFA fan. This year is sure to be another stellar show, and I’m excited to see it live.
The Capital City of Ultimate
It is hard to overstate how great Madison is as a host city. With hotels, bars, and restaurants all within walking distance of Breese Stevens Field, the ultimate fan experience is surrounded by excitement. The UFA has plenty of events happening, but if you’re planning on being in the area and want to fill some extra time elsewhere in Madison, there are also great things to do, including:
- Walking through the Dane County Farmers’ Market, which will be open on Saturday morning for those sticking around
- Playing a round at the Hiestand Park Disc Golf course
- Grab a slice of pie at the Hubbard Avenue Diner
- Stopping at any local Culvers for some cheese curds and frozen custard
- Enjoy views of the lake at James Madison Park
- Look at cool plants at Olbrich Gardens
- See the world’s largest collection of mustard at the National Mustard Museum
