San Diego, Calif. (October 25, 2026) – Saturday brought the excitement of bracket play, as the field continues to narrow in the USA Ultimate National Championships. Only four teams remain in contention for each divisional title, as the semifinals kick off Sunday morning.
Of the 12 remaining teams, nine enter the semifinals undefeated. Three of those teams are the defending champions, hoping to advance to the final and claim back-to-back National Titles. While 53% of champions do return to the final the following year, they will each have to overcome elite challengers to make it to the final round.
All semifinals and finals will be streamed live by USA Ultimate’s media partner Ultiworld, starting at 12 p.m. Eastern.
Men’s Division
Quarterfinals in the men’s division brought an exciting upset as Toronto GOAT won over Boston DiG. DiG was coming off a tight contest with San Francisco Revolver, losing to last year’s champion on universe point, and had looked to be a strong contender. Instead, the four seed is out of contention. GOAT advanced to the quarterfinals where they fell to the undefeated Portland Rhino Slam!
After a shaky start to the tournament, Denver Johnny Bravo defeated Philadelphia Pacmen in the first round Saturday, but was unable to make it past their quarterfinal matchup with Revolver. Eight seed Raleigh Ring of Fire now hopes to do just that. They remain undefeated heading into the semifinals, but will have to pull off a win over the defending champions to make it to Sunday’s championship game.
Perhaps the most exciting game of Saturday’s bracket play was the matchup of Chicago Machine and New York PoNY. Entering the tournament as the top two seeds, these teams faced off in the quarterfinals due to Ring of Fire defeating Machine on Friday to win their pool. A tight game full of lead changes, the score was tied 14-14 with PoNY receiving, when Machine broke for the win. They will advance to face Rhino Slam! in the semifinals, setting up a potential rematch of last year’s Revolver vs. Machine final.
Mixed Division
In their first Championships appearance, Oregon Scorch outplayed their fifteenth place seed. After taking down three seed Sacramento Tower in pool play and seven seed Fort Collins shame. in the prequarterfinals, Scorch advanced to the quarterfinal round where they faced off against the number one seed New York XIST. Scorch came out strong and went up 6-3 before XIST made a comeback run. With the score tied at 7-7, Scorch broke to take half. In a tight game that continued to change leads, XIST ultimately claimed the win with a break, for a final score of 13-11. While Scorch is out of contention for the title, they are the only team out of the nine new to the national stage this year who won their way into the quarterfinals. XIST now advances to face San Francisco Polar Bears in the semifinals, after the Polar Bears took down four seed Boston Slow in their quarterfinal game.
Ann Arbor Hybrid also advances to the semifinals, following a closely contested game against Philadelphia AMP. The score was tied at 10-10, but the defending champions pulled away after that and Hybrid won the match 15-12, setting up a potential rematch of last year’s mixed division final. In order to advance, Hybrid will have to defeat Austin Disco Club, the team who defeated them in the final of the Pro Championships earlier this year, giving them one of their few losses for the 2026 season and ending their chances at a repeat Triple Crown.
Women’s Division
Washington Scandal remains the only team in contention for this year’s Triple Crown, and only two games stand between them and making history as the first women’s team to win it. However, making it past the semifinals in this division is no easy task as the top four seeds converge. All four remain undefeated, and each of them has a shot at making it to the final.
Scandal will face off against Denver Molly Brown, a team that has been inconsistent this season but has a strong roster and the potential to be a title contender. After a few close games in pool play, Molly Brown has put up dominant wins thus far in bracket games and could put a stop to Scandal’s winning season.
Boston Brute Squad and San Francisco Fury will face off in the semifinals, in a rematch of last year’s exciting final that could be anyone’s game. These teams have a long history of matchups and always leave it all on the field. Regardless of outcome, both semifinals in this division are sure to be exciting match-ups, and make for must-watch viewing as the 2026 season nears its finale. The women’s semifinals are live at 12 p.m. Eastern, with the final at 4:30 p.m.
