The American Rodeo Announced Highly-Anticipated 2026 Dates

The American Rodeo announced the dates for 2026, which will include four weekends featuring three regional qualifier tournaments and The American Rodeo Championship Weekend. The announcement is highlighted by dates that are later than those of previous years.

The East Regional qualifier tournament will kick things off in Lexington, Ky., April 9-11. The Central Regional qualifier tournament will be moved back to Oklahoma City, Okla., April 16-18. The West Regional qualifier tournament, which has been the first of the qualifier tournaments the past couple of years, will round out the qualifier tournaments in Las Vegas, Nev., April 30- May 2. 

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"We are thrilled to announce the updated dates for The American Rodeo, said James Miller, Senior Vice President of Sports Competition for Teton Ridge. This change allows for an exciting eight consecutive weeks of coverage on FOX, leading up to the championship weekend at Globe Life Field. "

The American Rodeo Championship weekend will once again take place at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, May 22-23. 

Tournament Format:

The tournament format allows riders of all ages and skill levels the opportunity to seek advancement to The American Rodeo. 

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The first step is with the American Contender Tournament Qualifiers, which run until March of 2026. In years past, the qualifiers have ended in December of the year prior.

Anyone wishing to compete can find information about different qualifiers for all of the regions on The American Rodeo Website.

Qualifying events are designated for different regions, but a contestant can earn a spot to compete at every region, increasing their chances of advancing to The American Championship weekend at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, April 30- May 2.

"With these new dates, we've also extended the cutoff date to March 15th, said Miller. For the full schedule and current points standings, please visit AmericanRodeo.com. The regionals payout more than $1.1 million to rodeo athletes before they get to the championship weekend at Globe Life Field."

After qualifying through one of the qualifying events, a contestant then competes at the American Contender Tournament Regional Semi-Finals. A maximum of 125 athletes compete in the timed events in each discipline in each Region. 

The Timed Event format at the American Contender Tournament Regional Semi-Finals is two (2) Go-Rounds + Aggregate. The Top 10 in the Aggregate advance to each Regional Finals. Non-advancing athletes may enter the Redemption Round for one last chance.

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The Roughstock format at the American Contender Tournament Regional Semi-Finals is a one (1) Long Go-Round + Finals. The Top 10 from the Long Go advance to each Regional Finals. There is no Redemption Round in the Roughstock.

All preliminary go-rounds offer jackpot-style payouts.

The Top 10 athletes in each discipline’s Aggregate + Top 3 from the Redemption Round in the Timed Events compete in each American Contender Tournament Regional Finals. The three (3) American Contender Tournament Regional Finals are all nationally televised and held on Day 3 of each Regional Semi-Finals rodeo. The top five athletes in each discipline from each of the American Contender Tournament Regional Finals advance to the American Contender Tournament Finals.

Fifteen athletes in each discipline qualify for The American Contender Tournament Finals (five from each regional event), plus athletes who advance from Super Contenders. The format is one head with a $ 360,000 purse.

Finally, contestants can complete The American in Arlington, Texas, at Globe Life Field. The Top 5 Contender athletes from The American Contender Tournament Finals go head-to-head with the Top 5 in the PRCA/WPRA world standings in the Contender Round of 10. The Top 4 advance to The American Rodeo Championship Round.

For more information about qualifying to compete, purchasing tickets, or the latest news about The American Rodeo, please visit their website at AmericanRodeo.com.

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