The second half of the 2026 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast officially begins this week at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, where the world’s top bull riders will battle through the final five rounds of the season in pursuit of a World Championship and gold buckle.
Following four grueling rounds inside Cowtown Coliseum, the championship race remains wide open as riders prepare for the most important stretch of the 2026 season. Every ride, every point and every matchup inside Dickies Arena will carry massive implications in the race to become the next PBR World Champion.
Here’s how to catch all the action.
Start Time
Thursday, May 14: 7:45 p.m. CT
Friday, May 15: 7:45 p.m. CT
Saturday, May 16: 7:45 p.m. CT
Sunday, May 17: 1:45 p.m. CT
Location
Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas
TV Coverage
Thursday, May 14 @ 8:45 p.m. ET – Exclusively on Paramount+
Friday, May 15 @ 8:45 p.m. ET – Exclusively on Paramount+
Saturday, May 16 @ 8:45 p.m. ET – Exclusively on Paramount+
Sunday, May 17 @ 3:00 p.m. ET – Round 8 + Championship exclusively on Paramount+
Full replays of PBR Unleash The Beast events will also be available to stream on Paramount+.
ROAD TO THE WORLD FINALS
Sunday, May 17 @ 12:00 p.m. ET – Road to the Gold Buckle exclusively on CBS
More Than Just the Main Event: Stream RidePass & the PBR App
BILL PICKETT INVITATIONAL RODEO
Matinee
Saturday, May 16 @ 2:30 p.m. ET – Exclusively on RidePass and the PBR App
Evening
Saturday, May 16 @ 8:30 p.m. ET – Exclusively on RidePass and the PBR App
For more information on how to watch, click HERE.
Play-by-Play: Craig Hummer & Cooper Davis
Sideline: Kate Harrison, Matt West & Cody Webster
International
International fans can learn more about how to watch the Velocity Tour and Unleash The Beast all season long by clicking HERE.
YouTube
Check the PBR’s YouTube channel for weekly highlights, top rides and the biggest wrecks of the weekends.
Key Storylines
The second half of the 2026 PBR World Finals arrives at Dickies Arena loaded with pressure, momentum swings and unanswered questions as the race for the gold buckle reaches its final five rounds.
One of the biggest storylines entering championship weekend is the return of Jess Lockwood, who battled through ongoing back issues and spasms that forced him to miss two days during the opening weekend at Cowtown Coliseum. The two-time World Champion now returns to Dickies Arena looking to regain momentum on the sport’s biggest stage.
Another major storyline surrounds reigning World Champion Cassio Dias, who is expected back after an ongoing knee injury sidelined him for two days during the opening weekend of the Finals. The supportive padding around Dias’ knee was damaged during his violent matchup with World No. 2 bucking bull Ransom, leaving the knee increasingly unstable entering Dickies Arena.
But if anyone remembers 2024, they know it is going to take far more than a bum knee to keep Dias down.
During the 2024 World Finals Dias was knocked unconscious and hospitalized following a wreck with Norse God, only to return one week later wearing Lane Frost’s chaps and deliver a 90-point ride to clinch both the PBR World Championship and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season.
Meanwhile, Andy Guzman enters Dickies Arena searching for just the second qualified ride of his World Finals career after finally breaking through aboard Smooth Violation for 87.20 points during Round 3. But Guzman immediately became one of the biggest talking points in the locker room Friday night when he confidently selected Magic Potion midway through the draft, drawing loud reactions from riders and coaches around him. One thing is certain — Hotel California is not scared.
At the top of the aggregate standings, Hudson Bolton and Luciano De Castro continue their remarkable battle to see who will finally have their perfect streak snapped first. Both riders remained flawless through the opening four rounds at Cowtown Coliseum, with De Castro extending his qualified ride streak to 13 straight rides dating back to the regular season.
The World Championship race itself remains just as fascinating.
John Crimber still holds the No. 1 spot in the world standings by 136.5 points entering Dickies Arena, but throughout his young career he has often looked most dangerous when riding as the hunter instead of the hunted. The closer a rider gets to a gold buckle, the brighter the spotlight becomes — and right now, every eye in the sport remains locked on the young phenom.
But no conversation surrounding the championship race feels complete without Sage Steele Kimzey.
The veteran champion enters the final weekend still searching for a few more 90-point watches — and more importantly, a gold buckle that says PBR. Already one of the most decorated champions in rodeo history, Kimzey reminded everyone during the opening two rounds exactly how dangerous he becomes when momentum starts building at the World Finals. And with five rounds remaining, there may still be nobody more equipped mentally to handle the pressure than Kimzey himself.
However, the race for the gold buckle still could be anyone’s game, because inside a PBR arena, nothing is ever promised once the bulls start spinning. Watch every second of the 2026 PBR World Finals Championship weekend live on Paramount+.
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Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media