PBR Teams: Bulls and Beats marks the first of 12 regular-season events during the fifth PBR Teams season. Action begins Friday, July 10, with the Collegiate All-Star Rodeo at 6:45 p.m. MT before PBR Teams competition starts Saturday, July 11, at 7:45 p.m. MT. The opening weekend concludes Sunday, July 12, at 1:45 p.m. MT inside Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins, Colorado. Following each night's competition, fans will enjoy concerts from Brad Paisley (Friday), Bailey Zimmerman (Saturday) and Miranda Lambert (Sunday). The Collegiate All-Star Rodeo will stream on FOX Nation, while both days of PBR Teams competition will air live on The CW.
OPENING WEEKEND SPOTLIGHT
The race to Las Vegas begins in Fort Collins as every franchise starts the season with a clean slate after the Carolina Cowboys captured the 2025 PBR Teams Championship and the Florida Freedom finished atop the regular-season standings. All 10 teams will battle through another 35-game regular season before returning to Las Vegas in November to crown the 2026 champions.
Saturday's opening matchup features one of the league's marquee rivalries as the defending champion Carolina Cowboys square off against the 2023 champion Nashville Stampede. Carolina returns with world-class talent including Jess Lockwood, Keyshawn Whitehorse, Clay Guiton and Guilherme Valleiras, while Nashville counters with Alan de Souza, Gustavo Luiz da Silva, Daniel Feitosa and Riquelmi Silva in a matchup between two championship-caliber rosters. The all-time series couldn't be tighter, with the teams deadlocked at 8-8 entering the weekend.
Saturday night also features a heavyweight showdown when the Austin Gamblers meet the Kansas City Outlaws. Austin enters the new season with former world champions Jose Vitor Leme and Kaique Pacheco alongside Dalton Kasel, Dener Barbosa and Sage Steele Kimzey, while Kansas City looks to build around reigning PBR World Champion Cassio Dias, Koltin Hevalow and Heitor Santos Ferreira. The Gamblers own a 10-6 advantage in the all-time series, but both clubs expect to contend near the top of the standings in 2026.
NEW SEASON, NEW BEGINNINGS
Every team arrives in Fort Collins with championship aspirations, but several organizations look dramatically different than they did just months ago. The Oklahoma Wildcatters debut under new Head Coach Greg Rhodes after an active offseason, while the Kansas City Outlaws hand the keys to reigning PBR World Champion Cassio Dias following another strong offseason. The Austin Gamblers also welcome back three-time PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme after announcing his return ahead of opening weekend, adding another proven superstar to one of the league's deepest rosters.
With every club beginning 0-0, Bulls and Beats provides the first glimpse of which offseason moves could reshape the championship race.
REMATCH RECAP
Opening weekend features several intriguing rider-versus-bull rematches across Saturday's slate.
Clay Guiton renews his matchup with Short Fire after conquering the bull for 87.75 points in Albuquerque during the 2025 season. Yan Victor Cunha draws Lights Out after an 87.25-point ride during Rattler Days in 2025, while Claudio Montanha Jr. reunites with Stacked Deck following their 88.55-point conversion at Space Cowboys presented by U.S. Space Force just weeks ago. Joao Lucas Campos also faces Dirty South for the first time since producing 89.25 points during Ridge Rider Days in 2024.
The Austin Gamblers and Kansas City Outlaws matchup is loaded with history. Kaique Pacheco meets Sava after an 87.05-point ride in Albuquerque earlier this year, while Koltin Hevalow returns to Dirty Honey after an 88.55-point ride during the 2026 Unleash The Beast season. Dalton Kasel and Washita Red enter their third meeting with the series split 1-1, and reigning World Champion Cassio Dias looks to improve on his previous matchup with Snuggles after posting 82.75 points inside Madison Square Garden in 2024.
Eduardo Aparecido renews one of the most entertaining matchups in PBR, drawing Tulsa Time for the fourth time. Their previous meetings have resulted in either buckoffs or scores exceeding 90 points, including a spectacular 91-point ride during Gambler Days in 2024. Murilo Henrique de Oliveira also gets another opportunity aboard Fire Zone after being bucked off during the 2025 Teams season.
Julio Cesar Marques and Hoobastank break a 1-1 series tie, Felipe Furlan looks to continue his success against Hoka Hey after finally covering the bull in their third meeting, and Maverick Smith searches for his first qualified ride aboard Fire Fight after two previous buckoffs.
WEEKEND TO WATCH
Five games on Saturday and five more on Sunday ensure every team begins the season with two opportunities to establish momentum before the tour heads to Oklahoma City later this month. Whether it's defending champions protecting their crown, former world champions returning to familiar colors, or offseason additions making their team debuts, every ride in Fort Collins begins the chase toward the 2026 PBR Teams Championship.
Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media