The 2026 PBR World Finals begin with Rounds 1-4 at Cowtown Coliseum (May 7-10). Competitors who qualified through the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour must record at least one qualified ride during these opening rounds to advance into the second weekend, while all other competitors automatically move on. The event then shifts to Dickies Arena (May 14-17) for Rounds 5-8, followed by the Championship Round that will feature the event’s Top 15 riders. The rider with the highest overall total aggregate score across the nine World Finals Rounds will be crowned the 2026 PBR World Finals Event Champion and win a minimum of $500,000. The rider with the most UTB points throughout the season, including the PBR World Finals, will be crowned the 2026 PBR World Champion, cementing his legacy and etching his name on the coveted gold buckle, along with a $1 million bonus.

One rider has the chance to earn a maximum of 1,031 Unleash The Beast points across both weekends in Fort Worth. Each round winner will earn 50 points, with the event winner earning 500 points. Additional points are awarded based on ride scores.

In a highly contested 18-event regular season, 11 different riders won an event. Brady Fielder and Sage Steele Kimzeyled with three wins apiece. No. 1 John Crimber and No. 2 Fielder are separated by just 169.5 points. The Top 10 are separated by just 570.5 points, nearly 100 points closer than last year’s race.

Additionally, five unique riders led the standings – four still reside within the Top 10. With 950 points available from May 7-17 in North Texas, 40 of the 45 qualifiers have a mathematical pathway to the World Championship, including No. 41 Joao Ricardo Vieira who trails top-ranked Crimber by 892 points.

The 45 World Finals qualifiers are:
John Crimber (Decatur, Texas)
Brady Fielder (Clermont, Queensland, Australia)
Sage Steele Kimzey (Strong City, Oklahoma)
Leandro Zampollo (Pirassununga, Brazil)
Alex Cerqueira (Iguaremi, Brazil)
Paulo Eduardo Rossetto (Colorado, Brazil)
Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas)
Daylon Swearingen (Piffard, New York)
Marco Rizzo (Quitman, Georgia)
Cort McFadden (Novice, Texas)
Clay Guiton (Cherryville, North Carolina)
Julio Cesar Marques (Tatui, Brazil)
Bob Mitchell (Steeleville, Missouri)
Keyshawn Whitehorse (McCracken Spring, Utah)
Claudio Montanha Jr. (Ribeirao dos Indios, Brazil)
Cassio Dias (Sao F. De Sales, Brazil)
Maverick Smith (Cabool, Missouri)
Luciano De Castro (Guzolandia, Brazil)
Hudson Bolton (Milan, Tennessee)
Kaiden Loud (Kaufman, Texas)
Jess Lockwood (Volborg, Montana)
Thiago Salgado (Navirai, Brazil)
Daniel Keeping (Montague, Texas)
Koltin Hevalow (McAlester, Oklahoma)
Andrew Alvidrez (Seminole, Texas)
Callum Miller (Warwick, Australia)
Bruno Carvalho (Alvares Florence, Brazil)
Felipe Furlan (Sales Oliveria, Brazil)
Eduardo Aparecido (Gouvelandia, Brazil)
Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil)
Alan de Souza (Taubate, Brazil)
Lucas Divino (Nova Crixas, Brazil)
Kase Hitt (Dickson, Oklahoma)
Trace Redd (Malad, Idaho)
Manoelito de Souza Junior (Itamira, Brazil)
Dener Barbosa (Paulo de Faria, Brazil)
Mauricio Gulla Moreira (Gaviao Peixoto, Brazil)
Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil)
Austin Richardson (Dallas, Texas)
Andy Guzman (Oakland, California)
Grayson Cole (New Ringgold, Pennsylvania)
Gustavo Luiz da Silva (Inocencia, Brazil)
Macaulie Leather (Calliope, Queensland, Australia)
Romario Leite (Brotas, Brazil)
Wyatt Rogers (Hulbert, Oklahoma)

The final five riders qualified for the 2026 PBR World Finals via the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals May 1-2 in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Top-ranked Crimber helped the Florida Freedom, competing in the separate PBR Teams league, to their first regular-season Teams Championship with a 25-10 record in 2025. He has been the league MVP the past two seasons and now seeks his first World Championship after finishing fourth in 2025 and runner-up in 2024 during his rookie campaign.

The enthusiastic 20-year-old Texan has led the UTB standings for six straight weeks and nine total on the season, remaining in control during the latter stretch. His two event wins – in Sacramento and Sioux Falls – coupled with consistent riding (28-for 49, 57.14%), including the season’s second highest-marked ride for 92.95 points on Fire Zone in Billings, has bolstered his point total.

A title contender since getting his PBR card at the age of 18, Crimber looks to become the youngest PBR World Champion since Lockwood clinched his first World Championship at 20-years old in 2017. Lockwood, returning from a stretch of battling injuries, has qualified for World Finals. Three-time PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme is out with an injury and will not be defending his title in Fort Worth.

Sitting just behind Crimber and closing the gap down the stretch run is No. 2 Fielder, the top-ranked Australian on the tour. Fielder is tied for the most wins on the premier series (three – Boston, Indianapolis, and Billings). He is attempting the feat of becoming just the second rider from Down Under to win the PBR World Championship, joining Troy Dunn who achieved the feat in 1998.

Fielder, who has yet to lead the standings this season, recorded a season-high mark of 92.40 aboard Nobody in Billings. During the 2026 campaign, Fielder led the PBR in outs (52) and tied for the most qualified rides (28). He is one of five riders to win multiple Unleash The Beast events.

No. 3 Kimzey, a 7x PRCA World Champion, has remained in the battle throughout the season in seeking his first PBR World Championship. He is tied with Fielder for the most wins (New York City, Jacksonville, and Little Rock).

Kimzey led the standings for three consecutive weeks following Jacksonville through Little Rock, extending his biggest lead to 83 points before Crimber ascended to the lead. He won the World Finals event in 2024 and sits just 297.5 points behind the top spot.

No. 4 Zampollo has recorded 608.5 points on the season, 376 points behind Crimber. Zampollo has had three runner-up finishes on the season (Pittsburgh, Bridgeport, and Little Rock). His consistency has built a strong points base and kept him near the top of the standings for most of the season.

The remainder of the Top 10 competing at the 2026 PBR World Finals includes: No. 5 Cerqueira; No. 6 Rossetto; No. 7 Kasel; No. 8 Swearingen; No. 9 Rizzo and No. 10 McFadden.

The Top 10 features a strong Texas presence with three riders ranked inside the threshold hailing from the Lone Star State: Crimber (Decatur), Kasel (Muleshoe), McFadden (Novice). Should any of these contenders be crowned the 2026 PBR World Champion they would become the first Texan since Cooper Davis in 2016 to earn the coveted gold buckle.

Within the 45-rider field, Aparecido will be making his fifteenth consecutive appearance at the PBR World Finals. He will be joined by veterans Vieira (14th), Pacheco (11th) and Montanha Jr. (10th), Leme (10th), and Derek Kolbaba (11th) who have all now qualified to compete at bull riding’s crown jewel 10 times or more.

The field features five World Champions: Lockwood (2017, 2019), Pacheco (2018), Swearingen (2022), Dias (2024), and Kimzey (7-time PRCA World Champion). Additionally, there are three PBR Finals Event winners: Lockwood (2019), Swearingen (2022), and Kimzey (2024).

Five members of Fort Worth’s own Texas Rattlers have also qualified to compete: Fielder, Montanha Jr., Keeping, Alvidrez, and Vieira.

The World Finals bullfighters who will take to the dirt to protect the best bull riders in the world are: Cody Webster, Lucas Teodoro, Knox Dunn and Austin Ashley.

The 2026 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast will begin with the first four rounds at Cowtown Coliseum on May 7-10 (7:45 p.m. CT on May 7-9, and 1:45 p.m. CT on May 10). During Rounds 1-4, each of the 45 competing riders will attempt one bull daily. The five riders who qualified from the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour must ride at least one bull to advance. Following the conclusion of competition at Cowtown Coliseum, the remaining riders will advance to Rounds 5-8 at Dickies Arena May 14-17 (7:45 p.m. CT on May 14-16, 1:45 p.m. CT on May 17). The Championship Round will feature the Top 15 riders competing for a chance at the event title and – if they have yet to be eliminated by points – the World Championship.

The on-the-dirt action for the rounds of the 2026 PBR World Finals inside Cowtown Coliseum will be accompanied by a myriad of fun, family-friendly programming throughout the Fort Worth Stockyards, including the Stockyards Stampede Fan Fest, which will take over the historic district beginning May 7 as the fan hub, offering special activations from PBR partners and daily musical and DJ performances while serving as the home for the event’s official parade on Saturday, May 9 at 11:45am CT.

The complete schedule of World Finals programming is available at https://pbrworldfinals.com/schedule. Tickets for the PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast are on sale now. They can be purchased online at PBRWorldFinals.com, CowtownColiseum.com and AXS.com for the first weekend and at dickiesarena.com and ticketmaster.com for the second weekend. For more information and to see the complete event schedule, visit PBRWorldFinals.com. Stay tuned to PBR.com for the latest news and results and be sure to follow the sport on all social media platforms at @PBR.