February 9, 2026 Nolan Hughes

Battle between bowling titans serves as prologue for April 4 finals on CBS and Paramount+

While the 2026 PBA Tour kicks off in less than two weeks — the season-opening broadcast airs Sunday, Feb. 22 at 4 p.m. ET on The CW — bowling fans need not to wait until then to watch the best in the world compete on the lanes.

EJ Tackett, the three-time reigning PBA Player of the Year, will square off with his fiercest rival and the major title king, Jason Belmonte, at the the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame in Arlington, Texas on Sunday, Feb. 15.

The match will start at 1 p.m. Eastern (noon local time) and be free to watch on the PBA’s YouTube channel. All proceeds generated from the livestream will be donated to the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame. Fans are welcome to watch the match in-person, and will have the opportunity to meet the players and tour the Hall of Fame.

Tackett and Belmonte were named captains of their respective teams for the PBA USA vs. the World event on April 4, airing on CBS and Paramount+. The Captains Match between two of bowling’s greatest superstars will determine lineup selection order and lane choice for the April 4 finals. 

As part of the show, the captains will each select two players to join their respective teams. The highest-ranking American and international-born player in competition points following the PBA Indiana Classic on March 22 will be added as the fourth member of each team.

Historic Venue

The venue of the Captains Match inside the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame.

In the 2023 Captains Match, Belmonte took on then-American captain Tommy Jones at the famed Holler House in Milwaukee. Belmonte prevailed in the hand-oiled basement lanes, also the oldest sanctioned lanes in the U.S., 231-185. In the two-part televised finals, The World dominated the Americans by a 12-2 margin.

This year’s Captains Match will take place in a similarly unique setting on the two lanes inside the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame. The wood lanes feature a human pinsetting machine from the mid-20th century. No professional match has ever been held on these lanes.

The April 4 finals will feature four singles matches between the USA and The World. Each match will be worth one point, while two points will be awarded to the team with the highest total score. A one-ball roll-off will be used to break any potential ties.

Rivalry Renewed

The Captains Match marks the next chapter in a storied rivalry between two living legends. The last decade-plus of the PBA Tour can be told through the lens of matches between Belmonte and Tackett.

Their first title bout in the 2014 USBC Masters marked Belmonte’s ascension to true stardom and Tackett’s emergence as a limitless talent.

Belmonte established himself as the tour’s premier star with Player of the Year wins in 2013-15. However, Tackett asserted himself as prime Belmonte’s first worthy adversary with his 2016 Player of the Year honor and 2017 PBA Tour Finals victory over Belmonte.

While Tackett struggled in the seasons following Belmonte’s revenge in the 2018 PBA Tour Finals title match, Belmonte continued to add to his vast major title collection. 

Belmonte’s historic wins over Tackett in the 2019 and 2023 PBA Tournament of Champions title matches, respectively the record-tying 10th and record-obliterating 15th major titles of his career, reframed his dominance from the best player alive to perhaps the best player who ever lived.

The 2023 TOC came in the midst of Tackett’s resurgence to the top of the tour, and almost spoiled his bid for “best player alive” for good. But Tackett’s PBA World Championship victory mere weeks later confirmed his ascension. After nearly a decade of playing second fiddle, Tackett determined, in his own words: “it’s my f****** time.”

Last season, Tackett bookended his active PBA World Championship three-peat another title match win over Belmonte, ultimately securing his third straight Player of the Year honor.

As the achievements continue to mount for the two players who ranked as the distant first- and second-best players of the last 25 seasons, the stakes have risen, too.

Entering 2026, Tackett seeks to become the first player to win four straight Player of the Year honors, a feat that no player — not even Belmonte — has ever achieved.

Meanwhile 42-year-old Belmonte aspires to end Tackett’s reign and add another notch to his G.O.A.T. case with a record-setting eighth career POTY honor.

Their entire rivalry is chronicled in an eight-part series on the PBA’s YouTube channel.

Don’t miss the first entry of Chapter 9 this Sunday.