27 games will be broadcast from this year's Pro Championships!
September 2, 2026 by Alex Rubin, Aidan Thomas and Zack Davis in Preview, Video
Ultiworld’s coverage of the 2026 club ultimate season 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.
The Pro Championships mark the second course of the Triple Crown Tour, and the last stop on the regular season calendar. Intended for the top eight finishers from the prior year’s Club Championships, the tournament routinely features some of the highest-level ultimate on the club calendar and provides a crucial opportunity for key final reps against elite opponents before the Series kicks off.
Occurring just weeks after the World Ultimate Club Championships, the mixed and women’s divisions are nonetheless packed with teams with their eyes on a national title, while the top-heavy men’s division could serve as a coming out party for squads hoping to break through. And amidst it all, bid drama, as every point could potentially swing a spot at Nationals.
We’ve got you covered for all the exciting action this weekend. Follow along on the Pro Championships 2026 event page for livestreams and updates throughout the weekend. It all starts Saturday, September 5th, LIVE on Ultiworld!
Tournament Profile
- Date: September 5-7
- Location: Boyds, MD
- Weather: Partly cloudy with highs in the low 80s, 7 mph winds
- Scores & Schedules
- Ultiworld Event Page
How To Watch
We’ll have three livestreamed games every round through semifinals, and full showcase broadcasts of all three finals on Labor Day.
All broadcast games will be available on-demand for viewing immediately following the live broadcasts.
You will need an Ultiworld Standard or All-Access subscription or a 2026 Club Team Pack to be able to watch games from Pro Championships 2026.
Full Broadcast Schedule
Tournament Preview
Women’s Division
Scandal at The Edge of History
No women’s division team has ever completed the Triple Crown Tour. It’s a slog. What’s more, it’s arbitrary. The parameters are “win these three tournaments,” one of them being the aforementioned national championship, the pursuit that consumes the minds of players and fans alike. The other two tournaments are played in what we’ve dubbed the “regular” season. It’s average, normal, and even mundane to win the U.S. Open or Pro Championships. It’s worth pursuing goals other than just winning at those tournaments, or even not attending, if you think it will give you a significant advantage in the postseason.
A win at the Club Championships looms large on the calendar even in March, when team captains will meet up to discuss culture shifts, set goals, and think about new iterations of systems and strategies. It hangs over every weekend of the summer, a fog rolling in on the horizon, barely noticeable at first, but eventually consuming everything in its path, sweeping away the sky. Then, just as soon as it’s finally permeated everything, it’s swept away again, often quite suddenly.
Maybe it’s the nature of an athlete to be competitive, to want to win it all, and win it all at once. Maybe there’s a reason that we think being the best is a measure of skill at an exact moment, or in our case, an exact weekend. The champion wins when the stakes are highest. That’s what makes Nationals so compelling, and by extension loom the largest. It’s not just an end, it’s the end.
There is something alluring about the Triple Crown though, the idea that you’re not just a champion. As great as that is, there’s one every year. Someone will win the championship, but the Triple Crown isn’t guaranteed. Its ethereality is what makes it so attractive, its unique difficulty the very thing that makes it worth accomplishing.
Add to that, the impulse to be first. Everyone knows Niel Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, you might even know Michael Collins, but what about Pete Conrad and Alan Bean? It pays to be first, even if the goal is arbitrary. If it’s a way to measure greatness, especially of talent, being first gets you to the top of the list in the history books.
The stars have truly aligned for #1 Washington D.C. Scandal though, and they have a shot at the single season club team grand slam. Throw in their WUCC title a few weeks ago, and with a TCT sweep Scandal might cement their names as the best team in women’s division history.
They’d be the first team to ever pull off the same year WUCC and TCT sweep in any division, though Hybrid have the potential to pull it off this season too. There have been teams that have come close, with Revolver winning TCT in 2013, WUCC in 2014, then another TCT in 2015. Mixtape won the TCT in 2017 then WUCC in 2018. Then just last year both Hybrid and Revolver won the TCT and won gold at WUCC this year.
Though there’s no way of truly knowing, this must be something that Scandal considered in preseason discussions, if not explicitly stated as a goal then at least mentioned, even just as a pipe dream. Surely Kami Groom and Claire Trop, who have each accomplished about as much as there is to accomplish in ultimate, have at least thought about it. They could win it all, and win it all at once.
Welcoming Committee
Poetic glory aside, Scandal just spent a week overseas playing an incredibly talented field. Prior to that, and also within the last calendar month, they played seven games where their weakest opponent was a toss up between Schwa, Flipside, and 6ixers, who are all viewing quarters at Nationals as a floor.
#3 Molly Brown, #6 Seattle Riot, and #8 New York BENT will be looking to exploit any opening presented to them, and will be more than happy to welcome Scandal home and congratulate them on their triumph at WUCC by giving them their first loss of the season.
BENT in particular will be looking to pick up the pieces after what must have been a disappointing U.S. Open, and hopefully return to the path they started out on at PEC East. They’ll have had a month off of tournaments to build chemistry and cohesion and work through whatever kinks they identified at U.S. Open, with an eye on breaking through to their first national semifinal in just over a month.
Riot will have a shot at Scandal in pool play, and with every team making the bracket, Scandal might not feel like they have to be in “do or die” mode on Saturday. Riot stand a chance at bumping off the champions early on and paving an easier road to the final on Labor Day.
Molly Brown themselves will be eyeing a rematch against the champs, having come within one point of the win in the U.S. Open semifinal. The Denver team can, has, and will take a game off of anyone.
One Last Bid for a Seat at Nationals
#13 Pittsburgh Parcha are once again going into a weekend on the direct bid bubble. Their projected ranking is 17th and they are two tenths of a rating point behind #20 Vancouver Traffic. For context they are seven whole points ahead of the 18th ranked Colorado Kelp and Traffic are 62 points adrift from the 15th ranked Raleigh Phoenix. In short: it’s very close.
For Parcha, it’s less about winning and losing games (although wins will of course be good), it’s more about winning and losing individual points. Every point for is a step closer to reaching Nationals, and every point against is a step away. This is doubly true in their games against higher ranked opponents, as close losses could tilt in their favor algorithmically.
Every point matters for the chairs. Short of their Mid-Atlantic neighbors Agency and Grit going on absolutely unbelievable runs this weekend, the fate of the final bid lies in Parcha’s hands.
Mixed Division
WUCC Hangover or Holdover
Two teams who competed in late August’s World Ultimate Club Championships in Ireland return to the field this weekend to take on top American competition at Pro Champs. Will we see tired legs and travel fatigue, or will the competing teams ride their top form and momentum into success stateside?
#1 Ann Arbor Hybrid won WUCC, and, following their US Open win, will look to continue with what could turn into a quadruple crown (a Grand Slam?). Based on their US Open performance, expect Dalton Smith and Abe Coffin to have a leading role in the backfield while Rachel Mast and Lili Hobday dominate downfield. Even with some key injuries (Jon Mast and Ben Lewis are not expected to play), Hybrid have enough new firepower in PUL/WUL All-Star Game MVP Eileen Bequette and Jack Shanahan to make up for their losses. Despite strong competition at Pro Champs, and the toll that playing an extra mid-season tournament could take, Hybrid have to be the favorite to win it all.
#5 Fort Collins shame. also competed at WUCC, advancing to the semifinals before falling to #2 New York XIST (who won’t compete at Pro Champs). After a 2-4 performance at the US Open, shame. will relish the chance to prove they are in fact among the best teams in the country and not just among the best in the world. Their pool play matchup against Hybrid will be a good measuring stick and could be a preview of Monday’s final. With just about every major contributor back from their 2025 run to the semifinal round at Nationals, shame. are hoping to improve on that performance and win a second championship following their 2023 title. A strong performance this weekend will help nudge the team back in the right competitive direction.
Who’s Number Two?
XIST, who made the final at both the US Open and WUCC, are not competing this weekend. Since last fall’s national final, the standings have seemingly been entrenched with Hybrid in first place and XIST second. In XIST’s absence, an opening appears near the top of the division. Aside from the aforementioned shame., legacy programs #3 Boston Slow and #12 Minneapolis Drag’n Thurst will be looking to break into the contender tier and prove their 2026 season matches their pedigree.
Slow have only lost to Hybrid and XIST so far this season, and match veteran talent and know-how from Erin Rea, Davis Whitehead, Olivia Hampton, and Yuge Xiao with exciting young playmaking from up-and-comers like Geir Hartl and Malachi Raymond. Slow aren’t aiming to peak at Pro Champs, but a solid showing in September can build confidence as the 2016 champions look to improve on their 2025 quarterfinal Club Championships showing.
Drag’n Thrust are just 6-6 this season, largely because the perennial contenders are working through an interesting personnel transition. The team moves on from veteran handlers Erika Baken and Chagall Gelfand and introduces new talent like Justin Burnett and Liz Hart. While the overall talent level on the team remains high, plenty of players are shuffling around to new positions. With an additional month of practice in everyone’s cleats, expect Drag’n to look closer to a finished product than they did the last time they played at the US Open.
The Field
For the rest of the Pro Champs field, this tournament marks a great chance to prepare for Nationals and challenge the best teams in the division.
#10 Austin Disco Club are hoping to ride the momentum of an undefeated Sunday at the US Open into Pro Champs. The South Central outfit is still awaiting a signature moment for their season. A second win against #11 Boston Sprocket or a takedown of Slow could set ADC on the kind of upward trajectory that propels a team deep into the Nationals bracket. While it’s somewhat early to be planning quite that far ahead, Disco Club have ambitions that stretch that far and will be eager to prove their party is worth joining.
With a win over Hybrid earlier this season, Sprocket have every reason to believe this season is destined for greatness. With Tannor Johnson-Go at the peak of his powers and continually improving stars like Wilhelmina Graff, Montana Roberts, and Zach Singer in support, Sprocket are a well-balanced team and have proven they can compete with the best in the division. In the previous editions of Pro Champs, Sprocket have not looked as good as they ended up looking at Nationals – I’d keep an eye on their potential as much as their results this weekend…though as explained below, they’ll still need good outcomes in order to make a repeat appearance at Nationals.
#18 Durham Toro have played through an up-and-down season and are looking to build consistency ahead of a competitive playoff series. With a handful of wins over Nationals-level teams to go with some losses to non-Nationals teams, Toro perhaps have the widest range of results of any team in the division. As in previous years, the talent on the Toro roster is unquestionably excellent. But also as in previous years, the team has not played with the kind of consistency to inspire too much confidence. Will the team that beat Sprocket and Disco Club and brought Hybrid to universe show up, or will we see the team that lost to St. Louis Good Company and Pittsburgh Port Authority?
Arizona Lawless have yet to win a competitive game this season. They gained entry into this tournament based on last season’s results, but their roster is less proven this season following the departure of talisman Travis Dunn and several other starters. Southwest Regionals is always chaotic and our Projected Rankings suggests that up to five bids may be available, so it is not out of the question that this Lawless team can make a repeat trip to Nationals, just unlikely based on their results so far. Last year we saw an underpowered Seattle Mixtape team learn and grow at Pro Champs on their way to a shocking Nationals appearance, and Lawless have a chance to follow in their footsteps.
Bid Implications
Hybrid, Slow, Disco Club, and shame. all sit high enough above the bid cutoff that their results this weekend should have too big an impact on the bid picture. Likewise, Drag’n Thrust will feel unthreatened in their region and aren’t worried about earning a bid (they currently hold the autobid in the North Central), Toro have the autobid in the Southeast, and Lawless are far enough away from earning an extra bid that they will just plan to pilfer from the Southwest stockpile.
That leaves Sprocket, the current last team in bid-earning range, as the only ones in need of good results this weekend to keep their bid in-region. Should they fall below the cutoff, #16 Salt Lake Sego and the Northwest would be in line to receive the next bid. (Of course, this is pending end of season adjustments and second order effects, which could end up propelling #13 San Francisco Mischief and the Southwest into that last spot, too).
Sprocket will need to avoid falling into a trap game against Lawless; anything other than a blowout there could spell doom for the Northeast bid chances. And anything other than respectable games against Slow and Disco Club in pool play could also be dangerous. The valuable reps that Sprocket earns by playing Nationals level competition could end up hurting their chances of staying a Nationals team if they aren’t ready to play at the level in a month’s time.
Men’s Division
This will not be the Pro Champs of yesteryear (literally, last year). With the exhausting and thrilling WUCC adding a major tournament to the calendar for three top American teams, the Pro Champs will not be quite the clash of powerhouses that the second “major” of the TCT normally would be. Only two of the eight qualified Pro Flight teams will actually be in attendance. #1 San Francisco Revolver, #5 Chicago Machine, and #4 New York PoNY, with their recent travels to Ireland, will sit out, and #2 Portland Rhino Slam!, #3 Seattle Sockeye, and #6 Boston DiG also declined their bids to this tournament.
So, that leaves #8 Washington D.C. Truck Stop and #9 Raleigh Ring of Fire as the only teams that earned their bids in the field. They’re joined by 2025 Nationals qualifiers #11 Atlanta Chain Lightning and #10 Philadelphia Pacmen to round out the top half of the field. Making up the bottom half of the field are the current last two bid-earners in #17 Montreal Mephisto and #16 Austin Doublewide and then Top Select squad #23 Virginia Vault and a Select Flight team in Florida Untied.
So, rather than a pre-Nationals jostling of the top teams in the country, this becomes a bipolar tournament in nature; all at once it is both a showcase and tune-up for teams with legitimate semifinal hopes at Nationals, as well as the final, critical games to determine the strength bids.
Within those two storylines, we’ve got three tiers to sort these teams into, let’s take a look at each tier and what each team needs to prove in Boyds, Maryland, this weekend.
Contenders: Truck Stop, Ring of Fire, Pacmen, Chain Lightning
A winner from outside the top half of the field would be massively unexpected, as the four teams who have virtually locked up their bids will be looking to iron out the wrinkles ahead of the postseason. While Ring are the top seed, one doesn’t need to squint too hard to convince themselves that any one of these four teams could take home the crown in Boyds, Maryland.
Pacmen are the lone squad with a tournament win this season, taking down Chain Lightning on double game point in the Elite-Select Challenge final. Truck Stop are the highest ranked team in our power rankings with a win over Rhino Slam! to boot. Ring of Fire have early-season wins over Pacmen as well as weakened versions of Truck Stop and Machine, and they enter as the top seed. If they can get some much-needed stability from the O-Line, Ring of Fire has every bit the talent to earn the title.
Chain Lightning are likely the longest shot, but after pushing Pacmen to universe without Will Selfridge, their confidence should be pretty high, and Atlanta will be looking to prove that they, not Ring, are the Southeast team to beat.
Bid-Earners: Mephisto, Doublewide
The entirety of the Northeast region will watch with bated breath as Mephisto go to battle to reach their ten-game minimum and attempt to hold onto their strength bid. Mephisto were last seen going 5-5 at WUCC, good for an 18th-place finish. Mephisto haven’t really notched a signature victory this year with no ranked wins. That has to change this weekend; at bare minimum, Mephisto need to handle business against Vault to keep themselves in pole position for a bid.
Similarly, Johnny Bravo will be keeping an eye on Doublewide, who hold the last strength bid. Bravo were the victors of a one-bid South Central last year, but they’ll breathe easier if there’s two bids to go around this year. For Doublewide, they’re 12 rating points ahead of Portland Red Tide for the last bid. An early season win over DiG carries their resume, but with three losses by four or more points on their ledger, Doublewide need to stay composed and avoid big losses this weekend.
Spoilers: Vault, Untied
Virginia Vault needed a big effort at Elite-Select Challenge to put themselves in the conversation, and they didn’t get it. They sit over 200 points shy of the last strength bid, meaning it would take a miracle of epic proportions to do anything but play spoiler in Boyds. They’re 0-6 against ranked competition, but it would just take one upset to provide a huge wrinkle in the bid-earning picture. Plus, they’re virtually guaranteed a quarterfinal against either Truck or Pacmen, and they may relish the chance to test some things out and see if there’s a roadmap to a shocking upset in a game-to-go at regionals.
For Florida Untied, they’ve got similar dreams as Vault. Earning a bid is out of the question, but they’re staring at a likely two-bid Southeast region. They should get at least a chance at either Ring of Fire or Chain Lightning, and just proving they can exchange punches with the Southeastern powerhouses would go a long way for confidence ahead of regionals.
Ultimately, while the men’s field may lack the firepower of the other two divisions, the bid-earning storylines are the highest they’ve been at a Pro Champs in recent seasons. While this tournament’s format – eight teams that all make the bracket – can make Saturday pool play a sleepy affair, every result and scoreline this year is crucial in defining what the Nationals field may look like in seven weeks.
