FORT COLLINS, Colo. – As the 2026 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Teams season opened in Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins, Colo. on Saturday night, all four of the top finishers at the 2025 PBR Teams Championship were victorious. The reigning champion Carolina Cowboys, runner-up Missouri Thunder, third-place Texas Rattlers, and fourth-place Arizona Ridge Riders were joined by the Austin Gamblers with season-opening wins.

In the first game of the season, the defending Teams Champion Carolina Cowboys (1-0) edged the Nashville Stampede (0-1) 176.55-175.15 as both squads recorded a pair of rides. Guilherme Valleiras (Pirassununga, Brazil) put Carolina on the board with 87.75 points on Red Rebellion in the second frame, followed by two-time PBR World Champion Jess Lockwood (Volborg, Mont.) cementing the victory with an 88.8-point ride aboard Mayor of Hogeye. The Stampede’s two qualified rides from Daniel Feitosa (Guaraci, Brazil) with 87.05 points on Feel the Magic and an 88.1-point strike by Rogerio Venancio (Paranaita, Brazil) on Smooth Violation left Nashville 1.40 points behind Carolina at the game’s end.

In a battle described on the CW broadcast as “Grit vs. Glitz,” the lunch-bucket Texas Rattlers squad (1-0) rode the season’s first 90-point ride from Daniel Keeping (Montague, Texas) to a 265.45-260.9 win over the 2025 regular season champions Florida Freedom (0-1). Keeping bested Tigger for 90.1 points to put Texas ahead of the Freedom in the second frame after an 87.3-point ride by Austin Richardson (Dallas, Texas), who the Freedom picked up from Nashville. Florida would regain the lead as Alex Cerqueira (Iguatemi, Brazil) rode The HONDO for 85.55 points, but Dawson Branton(Jefferson, Ore.) returning from injury, knocked down a crucial ride in the fourth frame with 87.65 points on Moose to give Texas the lead. 41-year-old Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil) then put the Rattlers a full bull ahead in the fifth with 87.7 points against Carlos Danger, giving Texas a 92.60-point cushion. While the Freedom’s Joao Lucas Campos(Porto Feliz, Brazil) bested Dirty South for a mark of 88.05, it wasn’t enough to catch Texas, who prevailed by 4.55 points.

In defeating the Kansas City Outlaws (0-1), the Austin Gamblers (1-0) demonstrated their depth by riding three bulls even as three-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme was bucked off. Behind a pair of early rides from Sage Steele Kimzey(Strong City, Okla.) (89.6 on Wicked Solo), Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) (88.1 on Sava), and a fifth frame score from Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) (85.9 on Washita Red), the Gamblers outlasted the Outlaws 263.6-177.45. Heitor Santos Ferreira (Goiatuba, Brazil) (87.8 on Let’s Roll) and Koltin Hevalow (McAlester, Okla.) (89.65 on Dirty Honey) recorded a pair of rides for Kansas City to keep them in the battle.

In the highest-scoring game of the night, the Arizona Ridge Riders (1-0) bested the New York Mavericks 347.65-172.1 to improve to 8-0 all-time against the expansion team in the Big Apple. Arizona had a near perfect performance as Luciano De Castro (Guzolandia, Brazil) (86.85 on Real Deal), Eduardo Aparecido (Gouvelandi, Brazil) (87 on Tulsa Time), Elizmar Jeremias (Anapu, Brazil) (87.8 on Mike’s Motive), and Eric Novoa (Vacaville, Calif.) (86 on Black Tie) each recorded a qualified ride. New York’s pair of rides by rookie Dalton Allred (Cleveland, Utah) (83.6 on Big Bills) and the game’s highest-scored ride – Marco Rizzo (Quitman, Ga.) 88.5 points on High Road – came up short in the loss.

Saturday’s competition came to a close as the Missouri Thunder (1-0) defeated the Oklahoma Wildcatters (0-1) 265-87.75 in the finale. Missouri opened the game with a trio of rides from Paulo Eduardo Rossetto (Colorado, Brazil), Julio Cesar Marques (Tatui, Brazil), and Felipe Furlan (Sales Oliveira, Brazil) to take the season-opening victory. While Rossetto’s 88.5-point ride on Husky earned the win for the Thunder, Marques’ 89.55-point ride on Hoobastank was the highest of the game. Oklahoma recorded one ride for 87.75 points by Kaiden Loud (Kaufman, Texas) on Ugly This in the outing.

PBR Bulls and Beats season-opening event concludes Sunday, July 12 at 1:45 p.m. MT at Canvas Stadium. Tickets are still available and can be purchased online at csurams.evenue.net or PBR.com.

Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media