April 21, 2026 Nolan Hughes

Through these doors walk the world’s finest bowlers.

Those are the words that greet players and fans as the PBA’s most prestigious event — the PBA Tournament of Champions — is set to begin at the timeless venue of AMF Riviera Lanes in Fairlawn, Ohio.

The year’s 61st TOC marks the 37th time Riviera has hosted the major championship.

The 2026 TOC also marks the 40th and 50th anniversaries of Marshall Holman’s two TOC titles. Holman was honored in a ceremony prior to the pro-am on Tuesday night.

The 10th tournament of the 2026 PBA Tour powered by Go Bowling marks the final PBA Championship Sunday on The CW of the season.

The stepladder finals will air live Sunday, April 26 at 4 p.m. ET on The CW.

 

The winner of the TOC is, in the most literal sense, a champion among champions.

No one epitomizes that statement more than Jason Belmonte, the winningest active player who returns to the tour after a two-week hiatus.

The 32-time PBA Tour champion’s last singles title came in the 2023 TOC, a thrilling comeback which marked his record fourth TOC victory.

A return to lanes 27-28, where he has twice won the major since the TOC’s return to Riviera in 2018, could be the nostalgic spark he has been looking for.

While Jesper Svensson has no plans of anything besides defending his 2025 title, EJ Tackett is still eyeing his first win of 2026. 

Tackett is not only looking for a historic second career TOC win, but his first at Riviera.  A second TOC, along with Tackett’s two U.S. Open titles and four PBA World Championship wins, would make him the second player in PBA history to win the Triple Crown twice over.

Pete Weber is the only player to date who has achieved that feat.

Anthony Simonsen, who finished runner-up to Marshall Kent two years ago, would become a front-runner for his first PBA Player of the Year award with a second title and first major of the season.

While stars generally take center stage in the TOC, that would run counter to the theme of the season.

Of the 10 players to claim titles this season, six have been first-time champions. There have been no repeat champions, either.

Three of the new champions are rookies Brandon Bonta, Spencer Robarge and Austin Grammar.

All three major championships this season, additionally, have been won by first-time major winners: Bonta, Patrick Dombrowski and Boog Krol.

Not to mention the latest new champions on the tour: Sunday’s Roth/Holman Doubles victors Zach Wilkins and AJ Chapman, who are eager to compete with the confidence that comes with being a champion.

Format

Any player with a PBA Tour title was invited into the main field, while PBA Regional Tour champions advanced out of the pre-tournament qualifier.

All players will bowl 18 games of qualifying on Wednesday and Thursday to determine the 24-player field for round-robin match play.

The five players with the most pins after 42 games are completed on Friday will advance to Sunday’s stepladder finals, airing live at 4 p.m. ET on The CW.

All qualifying rounds will be livestreamed on BowlTV.

This week’s 40-foot oil pattern is named in honor of Don Johnson, the PBA Hall of Famer who famously shot 299 on lanes 27-28 at AMF Riviera Lanes during the 1970 Firestone Tournament of Champions title match.

Tournament Schedule

All times Eastern

Tuesday, April 21 — BowlTV
9 a.m. — Pre-Tournament Qualifier (seven games)
3 p.m. — Official Practice Session
6 p.m. — Pro-Am

Wednesday, April 22 — BowlTV
11 a.m. — Qualifying Round 1 (six games)
6 p.m. — Qualifying Round 2 (six games)

Thursday, April 23 — BowlTV
11 a.m. — Qualifying Round 3 (six games)
6 p.m. — Round-Robin Match Play Round 1 (six games)

Friday, April 24 — BowlTV
11 a.m. — Round-Robin Match Play Round 2 (six games)
6 p.m. — Round-Robin Match Play Round 3 (six games)

Sunday, April 26 — The CW
4 p.m. — PBA Tournament of Champions finals

More information on the PBA Tournament of Champions is available here.