August 25, 2026
By Evan Lepler

For the first time ever, a Tuesday Toss arrives with just two days until Championship Weekend. And with only a couple sleeps separating us from the semis, our collective anticipation is nearing its peak.

The big weekend that beckons—presuming that Thursday/Friday can be reasonably characterized as a weekend—should truly be a transcendent showcase of high-level frisbee, with four teams—Austin, Minnesota, New York, and Oakland—that are a combined 48-5. 

For context, here’s a year-by-year breakdown of the total number of losses for the four semifinalists entering Championship Weekend:

• 2012: 24
• 2013: 10
• 2014: 8
• 2015: 9
• 2016: 7
• 2017: 12
• 2018: 12
• 2019: 10
• 2021: 10
• 2022: 3
• 2023: 6
• 2024: 11
• 2025: 10
• 2026: 5

Overall, the joint resume of this year’s quartet of division champs is incredibly comparable to 2022, when Championship Weekend included the undefeated New York Empire and three other teams that were all 12-1 heading into the semis. But when you dig into the weeds—and loyal Toss readers understand that this column burrows deep—you can make a case that this year’s quartet is even stronger. 

In 2022, the Empire, Flyers, Union, and Apex—then known as the Summit—had three losses by a combined total of seven goals during the season.

In 2026, the Empire, Sol, Wind Chill, and Spiders have five combined losses, but both of New York’s setbacks came in overtime, while Austin, Minnesota, and Oakland all lost a single game by a single score. 

Collectively, it amounts to five losses by just six goals. 

Regardless of the maniacal minutiae, we’ve got an exhilarating three games ahead to cap our 2026 UFA journey—and the second annual WUL-PUL All-Star Game should be a fun fourth competition to add to the festivities in Madison. 

Obviously, only one team can prevail. But if we’re asking which organization would be transformed most by a championship, the answer might surprise you.

The Full Field Layout

Prior to the four division title games earlier this month, I wrote that ‘perhaps no team will have their reputation reshaped by this weekend’s action more than the Austin Sol.’ 

Wholeheartedly, I stand by that claim, so much so I’d like to double down on it heading into Championship Weekend.

Capturing a championship is always a legacy-shifting experience. Whether it’s the Empire earning their fourth, the Spiders snagging their third, or the Wind Chill winning their second, it would be extraordinarily meaningful for any of those three franchises. 

But for the Austin Sol, it’s different. 

This is an organization that was born in the shadow of a championship-caliber squad in Dallas, often fun and spunky but never truly a title contender. Even when the Sol shockingly advanced to the semis as South Division champs in 2023, the team’s performance on the league’s biggest stage showed that they were not quite ready for primetime. 

“To speak candidly, 2023 Champ Weekend was an embarrassing disaster for the Sol,” said Austin’s Matthew Armour. “Not only did we get our ass handed to us, our behavior as a team was completely inappropriate off the field.”

These solemn words, delivered by one of the team’s top leaders, illustrate just how disappointing that first appearance turned out to be.

“Our goals that season didn’t really extend beyond that crazy double overtime game against Atlanta,” added Armour. “We showed up to Champ Weekend already having accomplished what we wanted to and had no hunger left to put up a real fight against New York. We were defeated by our own satisfaction with ourselves before the game started—I guess New York being a lot better than us had an impact too. It’s much different this year; there’s still a lot of hunger, still a lot more for us to prove.” 

Truly, the Sol are the biggest underdogs heading into this weekend, but they are a very different team than the squad that crashed the party three years ago. This year’s team has way more depth, a far higher ceiling, and a steady, unrelenting belief that they can always come back. 

“It’s so exciting to be the underdog,” said Kyle Henke, shortly after the Sol’s heart-stopping one-goal win over the Flyers in the South title game. “We’ve been playing from behind all year, and there’s nothing we can’t do when playing from behind.” 

The Sol enter Championship Weekend with a 12-1 record, the lone loss coming by one goal at Carolina. While the team’s goal-differential was certainly bolstered by six games against Houston and Vegas, the Sol also went 2-0 against the Growlers—winning both in overtime—2-0 against the Hustle, and added an interdivisional victory over 8-4 Seattle.

But there still are plenty of skeptics who wonder if the Sol can actually compete with teams like Minnesota, Oakland, and New York, all franchises that have previously won championships. 

The Sol can rise into a different tier even if they don’t win the whole thing, but they have the most to gain if they could somehow find two more wins this weekend. It’s not going to be easy, and to be frank, Austin hoisting the trophy on Friday night feels quite unlikely, but the fact that they are even in the mix is a huge step forward. 

*****

In some ways, Austin feels a little bit like Minnesota did two years ago, when absolutely nobody outside of the Wind Chill and their close relatives believed they could win it all. A couple years later, the Chill are back in the semis, seeking a third straight title game appearance, and arguably looking stronger than they’ve ever been. 

The team has savvily added some veteran playmakers like Noah Coolman and Lukas Ambrose, Minnesota’s multi-year youth movement has blossomed, with players like Will Brandt, Paul Krenik, Gordon Larson, and Noah Hanson becoming cornerstone contributors, and the next generation of talented superstars has also arrived ahead of schedule, with current college kids like Nate De Morgan, Zach Morton, and Micah Davis all finding themselves in meaningful roles sooner than some would have expected. 

De Morgan’s impact, in particular, has been massive. Since making his debut in late May—after competing in the college championship game for the second consecutive season—the 20-year-old from Utah averaged a team-best 5.75 scores per game in his eight regular season appearances. But beyond the numbers, his aggressive mindset and willingness to launch ambitious hucks helped to unlock a new level of efficiency for Minnesota’s O-line. 

It was one of his first practices with the Wind Chill back in March that first suggested this breakthrough might be forthcoming. 

“It was indoors,” remembered De Morgan. “We were doing five-pull. When the O-line went out there, I think four of our five, I threw backhand hucks to Coolman. Like, it was kinda crazy. We scored all five, and four out of the five were me throwing the backhand to Coolman or B-Von [Bryan Vohnoutka].” 

Beyond that successful drill, it became clear pretty quickly that De Morgan’s skillset would fit in quite well on the Minnesota offense. 

“I had known Gordon and Will for a while, and it just meshed,” he said. “We want to score, and we want to be solid. Will and Gordon do an unbelievably good job keeping us alive, and so much credit to them for running the offense, and then I just kinda implemented what I can do [...] The Wind Chill O-line had been pretty low in most offensive statistical categories for the last couple years, despite being one of the best teams in the league, so we kinda knew that the offense needed someone who can put the ball in the end zone. Fortunately, for me, that’s one of the things that I can do pretty well. So it definitely all meshed together in terms of roles and play styles.” 

Indeed, all the pieces have seemingly fallen into place, and the Wind Chill’s O-line efficiency has been top five in the league all season long. With De Morgan’s mindset—perhaps best described as constant confidence—the Wind Chill finally have the balance and belief that you typically see in a champion. 

“I know I have my moments on the field where competitiveness can go a little too far, but [I believe that] every time you’re on the field, you should believe that you’re the best player on the field,” said De Morgan. "And I think that makes me play better when I have that sense of confidence [...] Obviously, this goes without saying, but you’re not always gonna be the best player on the field, and honestly, most of the time you won’t be; I understand when I’m not the best player on the field, but acting like that and playing like that is a helpful tool for me to play my best. I definitely play my best when I’m confident and when I feel like I can kinda go at anyone or beat anyone.” 

*****

Meanwhile, before the Wind Chill and Sol battle in the nightcap, we’ve got a tantalizing first semifinal between the league’s only two franchises with multiple championships.

UFA Championships

• New York: 3
• Oakland: 2
• Philadelphia/Toronto/Dallas/San Francisco/Madison/Carolina/Minnesota/Boston: 1 each

There are so many compelling subplots to the Spiders and the Empire’s second-ever meeting, particularly in the aftermath of the World Ultimate Club Championships final that unfolded this past Saturday in Limerick, Ireland. It wasn’t exactly a true preview of this Thursday’s clash, but it would be foolish to not mention Revolver’s 15-12 victory over PoNY as a prelude to the coming competition.

More than two full lines of Revolver’s roster—16 of the team’s 26 players—are also members of the 2026 Spiders. The PoNY-Empire crossover isn’t quite as deep, but 10 players on the New York club are also currently on New York’s UFA squad.

Obviously, both the Spiders and Empire have many key players who weren’t competing for a world title just a few days ago, but the fact that there’s such substantial recent crossover on the international stage means that it’s possible some of Saturday’s intensity in Ireland could bleed into Thursday’s proceedings in Madison. 

Of course, players like Evan Magsig and Alex Atkins don’t exactly require a recent personal clash to bring the fire. (Though considering both competed in the West Division for four seasons, perhaps there’s some lingering animosity from some of the spicy Oakland-Colorado tussles between the two star handlers.)

Magsig’s journey to Championship Weekend has been a pretty long road. Since joining the Spiders in 2021, the Oklahoma native has played 70 UFA games, becoming a foundational leader for the Oakland organization. But he’s one of just two players among the 32 who’ve played at least 67 games this decade who’s never before suited up at Championship Weekend. 

That’ll change on Thursday night. 

“I think Evan Magsig’s performance is worth a deep dive,” said Oakland Coach Liam Kreiss, after the Spiders’ West Division title clinching victory over Salt Lake. “After a heartbreaking playoff loss last season, Evan came back with a vengeance this year, recruiting players and coaches to help push this team past the West Division Championship hurdle. Off the field, his selfless leadership focused on team-building and creativity has culminated in a foundation of trust that allows risk-taking and challenging norms. On the field, Evan set the tone [against the Shred] from the very first point, jumping in for a D and marching us up the field for an upwind break. He was in his throwing bag all night, diming Max Zwerin in the back corner of the end zone with ridiculous throw and breaking double-teams with ease. Evan ended the game in style too, making the veteran read that with no mark, he could hold the disc as long as he wanted, hype the crowd up, and revel in what we accomplished together. In his six years with the Spiders, Evan has helped lead the team from a 4-8 record to our current 12-1 record and first West Division championship in 11 years.” 

Teenage phenom Stefan McCall was just eight years old when the Spiders last won a UFA title, but even he understood the significance of Magsig possessing the frisbee as time expired against the Shred. 

“When the disc was swung to Evan to end the game, I was so happy that he ended with the game disc in his hands,” said McCall. “For the game to end in the hands of our captain, Evan, knowing how much work he has put in for the team this year and the past however many years was so amazing to witness.” 

Entering Championship Weekend, though, Magsig and most of his Oakland teammates are in new territory. Only one Spider who is expected to play on Thursday—Tony Goss, who helped Seattle reach the semis two years ago—has any past experience competing at the UFA’s marquee event. Matt Crawford has also provided valuable leadership as the last remaining member of the Spiders’ championship era—he played 12 games for the 2015 Spiders—but he has only taken the field in three games this season. 

While the Championship Weekend experience gap is hard to ignore—New York’s Ben Jagt and Jack Williams have combined to throw 58 assists and score 46 goals in past UFA semis and finals, while all the current Spiders combined have just two assists and no goals all-time at Champ Weekend—Oakland will still venture into the Empire matchup with considerable confidence.

“I think, honestly, we’ll think of it similar to Salt Lake,” said Leo Gordon, after the West final. “We thought of Salt Lake as a very tenacious opponent as a team that really does the little things right: clock management, end-of-quarter situations, etc. Playing New York, we’ll expect a really complete game from them, and I think that we’ll just really have to be on our game. And at the same time, the last time we played New York last season, we won. And I think that gives us a lot of confidence going into this cross-division matchup.”

*****

Time will tell if the Toss has saved the best for last, but the Empire, despite technically being the four-seed at Championship Weekend, will be viewed by many as the favorite. In three of the last four years—and four of the last six—the East Division representative has won the whole thing, and the Empire’s historically efficient offense, put into perspective in more detail in last week’s column, makes it relatively easy to envision New York being the class of Champ Weekend once again.  

One thing’s for sure: If Alex Atkins, Daan De Marree, John Randolph, and the rest of the Empire can go all the way, they’ll have earned it, taking the tough path to the title.

“Our road this year was gonna be tremendously challenging once we lost the game to Boston at home,” said New York Co-Coach Matt Stevens, after the team’s playoff win over the Glory. “And we knew it was gonna be a game against DC, a game against Boston, and two games at Championship Weekend. As daunting as that seems, if we want to prove we’re the best team in the league, and if we can do this and win all these games, then we’ll be unquestionably the best team in the league.” 

While UFA fans may think of the Empire as a familiar Championship Weekend participant, only eight of the 20 players who took the field against Boston for the East final have participated in the team’s past semis/finals trips. For someone like Bobby Elston, who produced two first-quarter blocks against Tobe Decraene on August 8, this opportunity has been a long time coming. 

Elston attended the Empire’s last two Championship Weekend appearances as a reserve, but did not play in the aftermath of suffering a torn ACL in the third game of his rookie campaign. After extensive rehab, training, and the continued growth of his game, Elston has evolved into one of the team’s many steady defenders capable of swinging games for his team.

“It’s been a personal goal since my injury to help the Empire win another championship,” said Elston. “I’m confident we have the team to accomplish that goal.” 

And even though New York deserves to be regarded as the favorite, the odds aren’t nearly as overwhelming in the Empire’s favor as they were during the team’s undefeated seasons. There’s still plenty for this squad to prove. 

Just a few New York-related questions percolating in my mind heading into the weekend:

1. Will Alex Atkins deliver a season-defining performance to leave no doubt that he’s the 2026 UFA MVP? His goal should certainly be to do exactly what the team needs from him to win a title rather than pursue the individual glory, but there’s an individual on the Glory whose MVP case might stay stronger than Atkins’ if he has a relatively quiet weekend.
    
2. Will Daan De Marree continue to look like the best player in the world, particularly late in close games? One thing about the 25-year-old Belgian that continues to amaze me is the way he still seems at his peak speed in the fourth quarter of big games. Obviously, his talent, determination, and passion are all exceptional, but I think it’s his seemingly unwavering endurance that separates him from other elite playmakers. 
    
3. Can guys like Bobby Elston, Luke Barry, and Axel Agami Contreras continue to be D-line difference-makers in Madison? And if not, who else might step up as critical role players for the Empire? Every championship team needs both its stars and the stars in their roles to shine brightly in order to prevail, and this will be the first Championship Weekend experience for the three aforementioned D-liners.

If the answers to all of these questions end up being a resounding ‘yes,’ then the Empire will probably become UFA champs for a fourth time. If not, it would not be too shocking to see Oakland, Minnesota, or even Austin swoop in and take the 2026 title. 

The Hammer

The games start at 6:00 PM/ET on Thursday evening, though fans can also tune in at 11:30 AM/ET for gameday press conferences, where a coach and two players from each of the semifinalists will answer questions from local broadcasters and media. These will air on UFA YouTube.

A friendly reminder that you will need a WatchUFA.tv subscription to see Thursday’s semis. 

If you’ve somehow held out this long from joining our subscriber base, I hope you’ll be willing to make a small investment and support the league during its magnificent marquee weekend. A single subscription is cheaper than a Championship Weekend ticket, gets you access to both semifinals along with every single game from the entire season, and is a kind way to support the UFA for all the content it has delivered all year long. 

Every year, I always find myself reflecting a little bit around Championship Weekend. My UFA broadcasting journey began in 2014, when the league only had three divisions and 17 teams, only eight of which still exist with the same name they had then. When I called my first UFA game, I was just 28 years old and, admittedly, slightly skeptical that pro ultimate could survive and flourish in the broader sports marketplace. 

But over a dozen years later, and on the verge of presenting Championship Weekend to the world for the 12th time, I am filled with gratitude for the journey, appreciation for the continued opportunity, and belief that we’ve got an amazing product to share with the frisbee universe and beyond. Additionally, there’s a huge sense of anticipation for all the fun, suspense, and exhilaration that everyone will experience in the days ahead. 

We’ve got an awesome broadcasting crew lined up, with Charlie Eisenhood and Bryan Jones set to be the dual analysts alongside me in the Breese Stevens booth, and Ian Toner, Colin Camp, and Charlie Hoppes will be amplifying our coverage with additional pregame, halftime, and postgame perspective. Not to mention the MANY talented and devoted production folks that will be grinding long hours to deliver a first-class viewing experience for all frisbee fans around the world. 

It should be another unforgettable weekend, and I hope—whether you’re spectating in person or following from afar—that you enjoy it!

Thank you for reading, subscribing, and caring, and I’ll see you in Madison!