Grand Finals Qualifier 2026

GRAND FINALS QUALIFIER 2026

10-Ball GFQ: Saturday August 29 – Sunday August 30, 2026 at Fast Eddie's Braun
8-Ball GFQ: Saturday September 5 – Sunday September 6, 2026 at Fast Eddie's Braun
Doors open 8:00 AM both days
Winners advance to the National Grand Finals, November 2–7, 2026 at Harrah's Cherokee Resort, North Carolina

SCHEDULE & BRACKET

Both formats run the same seven time slots. Rounds are four hours apart because that is how long a team match takes. Round times are targets; rounds may start early once all teams and tables are ready, so be on site and ready to play 15 minutes before your round.

10-Ball, August 29–30. 8-Ball, September 5–6. Both weekends run the same seven rounds.

Round	Day	Time	Stage
Round 1	Saturday	8:30 AM	Opening round
Round 2	Saturday	12:30 PM	Winners + B-side
Round 3	Saturday	4:30 PM	Winners + B-side
Round 4	Saturday	8:30 PM	B-side
Round 5	Sunday	9:00 AM	B-side
Round 6	Sunday	1:00 PM	Top 4 redraw + semis
Round 7	Sunday	5:00 PM	Final

You are guaranteed at least two matches in both formats. Lose once and you drop to the B-side, twice and you're out. Both formats run the same bracket shape this year. Only the field sizes differ:

10-Ball, up to 12 teams. Double elimination down to the top 4, then those four redraw into the semi-finals and the final. Two teams survive the winners side and two survive the B-side, and the two still on the winners side after Round 3 advance directly to the semi-finals without playing again until Sunday. Field shrinks 12 to 10 to 7 to 5 to 4 to 2. It is a 16-team bracket, so with 12 teams the top 4 seeds receive a first-round bye.

8-Ball, 16 to 17 teams. Double elimination down to the top 4, then those four redraw into the semi-finals and the final. Two teams survive the winners side and two survive the B-side, and the two still on the winners side after Round 3 advance directly to the semi-finals without playing again until Sunday. Field shrinks 16 to 12 to 8 to 6 to 4 to 2. If the field reaches 17, the two lowest seeds play a preliminary match at 8:30 Saturday; everyone else starts as normal and the top seed's first match moves to 12:30.

HOW TEAMS QUALIFY

The top 2 teams in each division, each session, qualify for their format's GFQ
Plus one wild card per format, drawn from teams that haven't otherwise qualified
8-Ball and 10-Ball are separate qualifiers. Qualifying in one does not qualify you for the other
Qualification does not pass down. If a division winner has already qualified, that spot is not reassigned to third place

PLAYER & TEAM ELIGIBILITY

Teams play the GFQ and Nationals with their Session 3 roster
Every player needs 10 total plays for the year
Every player needs 4 plays on that team in Session 3
8-Ball and 10-Ball plays count together. Two league nights of double-play gets a player to 4
No exceptions are granted on plays. A team short on plays cannot play at Nationals, even if it wins its qualifier

Also required:

Teams must retain 5 players from the qualifying roster
Teams must finish in the top 50% of their division in each remaining session. Falling short does not automatically disqualify anyone. It triggers a review, and the UP board investigates and votes. What they look for is score dumping or a first-to-last collapse
Once qualified for the Grand Finals, players' UPscores are locked and can only drop 25 points from the qualified value, unlocking after Nationals
A player rostered on both teams in a match must sit that match out entirely, with no playing, coaching or assisting either side

UPSCORE & HANDICAPS

UPscore is calculated through the last week of Session 3. That's the cut-off
GFQ matches do not affect UPscore, and do not count toward the National Singles Leaderboard
So your handicaps are locked for both GFQ weekends and will not move between August 29 and September 5. You can work out your races as soon as Session 3 closes

WHAT CHANGES FROM LEAGUE NIGHT

No double play. Not allowed at GFQ or Nationals, and not the opposing team's call
Individual forfeits are worth 20 points, not 8. Team forfeit is 25
6-Ball Shootout is live as the tiebreaker. There is no shootout during weekly play
Leaving the playing area requires the allotted player break
15-minute grace period. After that it's a walkover. That counts as a no-show, not a played win

ON THE DAY

No dress code at the GFQ. Wear what you like. Note that jerseys are required at Nationals. Winning teams receive Jam Up jerseys as part of the prize package
No practice during the event. All tables are reserved for scheduled matches across both days, including tables not currently in use
Bring a charged phone with the league app installed and working
All dues must be paid in full before the event, no exceptions

MATCH RULES WORTH KNOWING

Coaching is allowed for players rated 450 and under, during an extension only. The extension must be selected in the app before the coach approaches the table, and the clock keeps running. Coaching a player rated 451 or above is a standard foul. An unentitled timeout is ball-in-hand to your opponent
Calling fouls: only the two players in the match may call a foul. A foul called by anyone else is void, and the offending team receives a sportsmanship violation. Time fouls are the timekeeper's call alone
Requesting a watch: on a close-contact shot with no referee available, call an "All Stop" and ask for a neutral third party, or film the shot. Clocks stop until the observer or camera is set
Stalemate: the player must ask for it. A referee or neutral third party decides, disregarding player ability. If confirmed, the rack is re-racked and the original breaker restarts
Clocks: 30-minute match clock, 30-second shot clock, one 30-second extension per rack

WHAT THE WINNERS GET

Paid entry to the National Grand Finals, $2,750 value per team
Jam Up team jerseys
Travel fund: $8,000 for the 8-Ball GFQ winner, $4,000 for the 10-Ball GFQ winner
Runner-up teams will also receive travel assistance

EVERY TEAM AT THE GFQ CAN GO TO NATIONALS

For 2026, every team that plays in a Grand Finals Qualifier is eligible to enter the National Grand Finals in the format they qualified in, not only the winners. In most years entry is limited to the top finishers.

Win your GFQ and your $2,750 entry is paid
Every other team that played its qualifier can pay to enter in the format they qualified in
Provisional deadline: September 21, 2026. Payment is arranged through your league operator

If you reach a qualifier, Nationals is worth considering: a week at Harrah's Cherokee with your team, playing on 7-foot Brunswick tables with $112,000 to the 8-Ball Teams champion and at least $25,000 to the 10-Ball Teams champion.

NATIONAL SINGLES LEADERBOARD (NSL)

Finish the qualification period in the top 8 of your UPScore class and you are seeded straight into the money round at Nationals, a payout secured before your first match
Five UPScore classifications, ranked nationally within your class. $3,000 to each class champion, based on a 100-player field
Your ranking is built from the individual matches you already play for your team every week
$110 for the year, purchased through the UPL app
Deadline: September 21, 2026
Complete at least 10 eligible individual matches during the qualification period to appear on the official leaderboard
GFQ matches do not count toward the NSL
Top finishers earn guaranteed prize money or free entry into the Grand Finals Singles event

Questions? Contact Carmel Luttrell, League Operator, (210) 651-2635 · carmel@ultimatepoolsanantonio.com