PBR Teams Championship Sunday Recap: Nashville Stampede Win 2nd Title in Franchise History
PBR Teams Championship Sunday Recap: Nashville Stampede Win 2nd Title in Franchise History

Photo Credit / Bull Stock Media
The 2026 PBR Team Series season concluded Sunday in Las Vegas with the Nashville Stampede winning their franchise’s second Teams Championship.
The Stampede defeated the Arizona Ridge Riders in the first-ever 7v7 Championship Game, cementing Nashville as the most decorated franchise in the league.
The Ridge Riders were the first Play-In team to navigate the entire tournament and became the lowest-seeded team in four years to make the Championship Game.
Nashville and Arizona reached the Title match after overpowering the 4th-place Texas Rattlers and 3rd-place Austin Gamblers, respectively, who put up good fights in the Semifinals.
Here’s a look at the games, teams, and riders that made the biggest impact on the final day of the PBR Teams Championship.
Semifinal 1:
No. 8 Arizona Ridge Riders – 448.70 vs 265.80 – No. 2 Austin Gamblers
The very first 6v6 Semifinal in Teams Championship history saw the Arizona Ridge Riders score five of their six outs to claim their third upset of the tournament.
It began as a heavyweight bout, with both teams trading blows, but the underdog Ridge Riders overwhelmed MVP Leme and the Gamblers in the first-ever face-off between the teams in Las Vegas.
Both teams knew exactly what was on the line and wasted no time getting points on the board. The first four riders scored to start the game, with Arizona taking the slight lead through two frames.
Everton Natan da Silva found eight seconds for the first time at the event, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. He was 89.35 on Velvet Revolver. Edaurdo Aparecido backed up da Silva with his third score of the event, worth 89.55.
Jose Vitor Leme and Dalton Kasel each responded, but with varying scores. Kasel was a season-high 91.75, whereas Leme was 86.85; his sixth-lowest score of the season.
After a buckoff from each team, Elizmar Jeremias stole the spotlight with a stunning 89.90-point ride atop Smack Ya to extend Arizona’s lead to a full bull ahead. But Sage Kimzey immediately answered with 87.20 points atop Simon Says, covering the bull both directions.
Eric Novoa hadn’t ridden a bull since the very first game of the season back in July, but rose to the occasion in the most important ride of his young career. Novoa rode Heavy Load for a career-high 89.85 points and flipped the momentum back into Arizona’s direction, a ride ahead.
Another Gambler buckoff later, and Vitor Manoel Dias had the opportunity to clinch the win with a ride on Tankums. All he needed was eight seconds to give Arizona the win, and he delivered. Dias was a career-high 90.05 to deny any chance of a Gambler comeback.
For the second time in franchise history, the Arizona Ridge Riders advanced to the Championship game. They’re tied with the 2022 Champion Nashville Stampede as the lowest seed to ever reach the Championship match.
The Gamblers once again came up short as a Top 2 seed. Jose Vitor Leme, despite putting together the greatest season in PBR Teams history, couldn’t become the first rider to win the MVP and the Title in the same season. The Austin Gamblers finished the Teams Championship in 3rd place. It’s their third Top 3 finish as a franchise.
Semifinal 2:
No. 3 Nashville Stampede – 269.40 vs 179.15 – No. 5 Texas Rattlers
The first two Title-winning franchises faced off in their third-ever meeting in Las Vegas. The series was tied 1-1 beforehand, but the Nashville Stampede emerged victorious this time after a tense slog.
Daniel Keeping and Alan de Souza traded blows in the first frame. De Souza was 88.60 on Spade while Keeping was 88.85 on Sucker Pop, giving the Rattlers the lead. That lead held until the end of the third frame, when Rogério Venâncio rode Humdinger for 88.85 and put the Stampede a bull ahead.
Both squads traded buckoffs, with Texas’ João Ricardo Vieira and Brady Fielder missing their chances to take the lead. That left Josh Frost to keep the Rattlers’ season alive. He covered Fury in a re-ride opportunity, but was awarded another, final re-ride to score more points and save Texas’ season.
But before Frost got his third chance of the match, Riquelmi Silva stole the show and sealed the deal for the Stampede for the second consecutive game in Las Vegas. Silva rode Fringe Minority for a career-high 91.95 points and cashed Nashville’s ticket to the Championship Game.
Frost completed his promise, though, and rode Milestone for 90.3 points, his second 90+ ride of the event. If Silva hadn’t covered, Frost’s score would have walked it off for Texas. But it was too late, and the Texas Rattlers finished 4th in the Teams Championship.
The Nashville Stampede advanced to their first Championship Game since 2022 with hopes of becoming the first franchise to win two Championships.
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Championship Game
No. 3 Nashville Stampede – 356.45 vs 268.35 – No. 8 Arizona Ridge Riders
The Stampede and Ridge Riders found themselves ranked 1 and 2, respectively, at the quarter mark of this season after Stampede Days. Both of their seasons took a downward turn afterwards, but both squads climbed their way back to the pinnacle moment of the PBR Team Series season. Both teams proved their electric starts to the season were no fluke, and they delivered one of the most memorable Championship Games in league history.
The Stampede and Ridge Riders faced off in the league’s very first 7v7 game. Notably, the Ridge Riders had a longer rest between matches than the Stampede and held a 10-8 lead in their series history. But the Stampede won their first Title over the Ridge Riders back in 2022, and knew what it took to do it again this year.
Everton Natan da Silva got things started with a methodical eight seconds on Dead Red worth a career-high 90.55 points. It was his second score of the day, and Arizona needed both of them after he started the event 0-for-3.
Alan de Souza denied Arizona the early bull lead, though, and instead took it for the Stampede. He was a season-high 91.30 on Freedom Fighter and improved to 7-of-10 in his Championship career.
But Eduardo Aparecido, who has the most rides in Ridge Rider Championship tournament history with 13, bucked off his bull, which allowed Daniel Feitosa to extend Nashville’s lead by 88.75 points. Nashville’s lead held through three frames until Alisson De Souza extended it in the fourth. He joined his brother, Alan, in the ride column with 87.90 points of his own scored on Smooth Whiskey.
At a two-ride deficit, Vitor Manoel Dias stopped the bleeding for Arizona with 85.40 points on Corriente. It was Dias’ second ride of the night, and his fourth straight to end his season. But Gustavo Luiz da Silva got Nashville right back to a two-bull lead with 88.50 points on EmmDee. That put Arizona back against the wall, with them needing to ride their final two to stay alive. Cody Jesus was first to the plate for Arizona and hit a home run for an event-high 92.40 points on Lights Out. That kept Arizona’s hopes alive, along with Nashville’s Damião Soares squandering his opportunity to clinch the Title. The door was left open for Alex Cerqueira to save the day. But Cerqueira, who sustained a broken foot the day earlier and who was just recently traded for, couldn’t hang on to his bull. With no other Ridge Riders left to ride, the Champion was decided.
After a wild tournament in Las Vegas, the Nashville Stampede hung on and won the 2026 Teams Championship in a four-ride effort. They became the first 2-time Teams Champions in League history, and the first team to win the Title after earning a bye.
Arizona, despite the loss, upset three opponents on their way to their second runner-up finish in franchise history. They became the first team to reach the Championship Game despite starting in the Play-In game. Furthermore, Eduardo Aparecido won the Championship MVP after he rode 3-of-5 in Las Vegas for 270.75 points. He was the only rider in this year’s tournament to cover three bulls and became the second Championship MVP after 2024’s John Crimber to not win the Title.
In Nashville’s first-ever season above .500, after 13 Weekends of grueling, hard-fought battles, the Stampede proved they deserve to be World Champions and the league’s most decorated franchise.
“This is something that will never be taken away from them; we don’t know what the future holds, but this moment right here, these boys will have forever,” Stampede Head Coach Justin McBride emphasized. “They were the best team in the world this season… I’m very, very proud of them.”
The PBR will return with the 2027 Unleash The Beast season starting in Manchester, New Hampshire, on December 11th.
