The National Finals Rodeo Committee announced Wednesday that they are altering the go-round payout structure for the 2026 NFR.

Beginning this year, the National Finals Rodeo will pay the top eight finishers in each of the ten go-rounds, instead of the previous standard of six.

The NFR will pay a record $14,270,736 to its contestants this year, and under the new pay structure, the payoff for each go-round will look as follows:

• 1st: $33,893.25
• 2nd: $27,498.30
• 3rd: $21,742.84
• 4th: $15,987.38
• 5th: $11,510.91
• 6th: $8,313.44
• 7th: $5,755.45
• 8th: $3,197.47

In 2025, it looked like this:

• 1st: $36,667.95
• 2nd: $28,979.51
• 3rd: $21,882.48
• 4th: $15,376.88
• 5th: $9,462.7
• 6th: $5,914.19

The total payout from each go-round this year will be $127,899.08, up from $118,283.71 last year.

The Average payout, however, remains unchanged from last year. The top eight finishers across all ten days in each event will get their split of $354,851.11:

• 1st: $94,035.54
• 2nd: $76,292.99
• 3rd: $60,324.69
• 4th: $44,356.39
• 5th: $31,936.60
• 6th: $23,065.32
• 7th: $15,968.30
• 8th: $8,871.28

The athletes themselves brought these changes to fruition, knowing it would open up the range of possibilities and keep more contestants alive for their shot at a Gold Buckle.

Now, more than half of all contestants will be compensated every single night.

Just over a week remains before the regular season comes to a close, and the NFR’s qualifying athletes are set in stone.

The National Finals Rodeo, and its new payout format, begins Thursday, December 3rd, and runs through Saturday, December 12th, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.