2026 NXL Midwest Open
The 2026 NXL Midwest Open was a National Xball League paintball tournament held from 25 to 28 June 2026 at Joyce Park in Fairfield, Ohio. It was the third major event of the league's 2026 United States season.[1][4]
Edmonton Impact won professional five-player Xball, defeating Seattle Uprising 6–5 after overtime. The Heroines won professional WNXL Xball. Tampa Bay Damage and San Diego Dynasty won the East and West professional three-player competitions respectively.[2][3]
Venue and programme
[edit]The tournament took place at Joyce Park, with PBLeagues listing the event address as 122 Joe Nuxhall Way, Fairfield, Ohio. The organiser marketed the event as taking place in the Cincinnati area.[1][4]
Thursday's registered competitions included East and West professional three-player Xball and amateur three-player Xball. Professional five-player, professional WNXL, Semi-Pro and Divisions 2–4 Xball were scheduled for Friday to Sunday. Division 5 Xball was listed for Friday.[1]
The programme also included conventional five-player and three-player divisions, women's amateur five-player, classic five-player and seven-player, and amateur ten-player competition.[1]
Formats
[edit]| Division or format | Published playing conditions |
|---|---|
| Professional five-player Xball | 15-minute matches; six-point mercy rule |
| Professional WNXL Xball | 15-minute matches; five-point mercy rule |
| Semi-Pro and Division 2 Xball | 15-minute matches; five-point mercy rule |
| Divisions 3–4 Xball | 12-minute matches; four-point mercy rule |
| Division 5 Xball | 10-minute matches; three-point mercy rule |
| Professional three-player Xball | 12-minute matches; five-point mercy rule |
| Amateur three-player Xball | Six-minute matches; three-point mercy rule |
| Conventional five-player | Five-minute games |
| Classic seven-player | Seven-minute games |
| Amateur ten-player | Ten-minute games |
| Conventional three-player | Three-minute games |
Source: official event registration.[1]
Professional five-player competition
[edit]Twenty teams contested professional Xball. Ten advanced from the preliminary round, comprising the top two teams from each bracket and two wildcards.[3]
Edmonton Impact entered the playoffs as the ninth seed. Impact defeated Chicago Distortion 6–0, San Diego Dynasty 4–3 and Red Legion 8–6 to reach the final.[3]
Seattle Uprising defeated San Antonio X-Factor 7–5 in the quarter-finals and TonTon Arsenal 5–3 in the semi-finals. Impact then defeated Uprising 6–5 after overtime to win the tournament.[3]
Final placings
[edit]| Position | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Edmonton Impact |
| 2 | Seattle Uprising |
| 3 | TonTon Arsenal |
| 4 | Red Legion |
Source: official final rankings.[2]
Semi-finals and final
[edit]| Round | Winners | Score | Opponents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-final | Edmonton Impact | 8–6 | Red Legion |
| Semi-final | Seattle Uprising | 5–3 | TonTon Arsenal |
| Final | Edmonton Impact | 6–5, overtime | Seattle Uprising |
Source: official scores.[3]
Professional three-player competition
[edit]The event held separate East and West professional three-player Xball competitions. Each conference had twelve teams, with preliminary bracket winners advancing to the semi-finals.[1][3]
| Conference | Winners | Final score | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| East | Tampa Bay Damage | 5–4, overtime | Orlando Red Legion |
| West | San Diego Dynasty | 4–3 | Detroit Infamous |
Source: official playoff brackets.[3]
Women's competition
[edit]Professional WNXL
[edit]Eleven teams contested professional WNXL Xball. Six advanced from the preliminary round, with the top three from each bracket qualifying.[1][3]
The Heroines defeated Bear Ridge Saints 5–0 in the quarter-finals and Dallas Vibe 3–2 in the semi-finals. Femmes Fatale reached the final by defeating Northern Lights 6–5 after overtime.[3]
The Heroines defeated Femmes Fatale 4–2 in the final.[3]
| Position | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Heroines |
| 2 | Femmes Fatale |
| 3 | Dallas Vibe |
| 4 | Northern Lights |
Source: official final rankings.[2]
Detailed women's professional coverage is included in 2026 WNXL Midwest Open.
Amateur five-player
[edit]Sparrows won women's amateur five-player, ahead of NJ High Rollers and OKC Vengeance.[2]
Divisional and classic results
[edit]The following table records the winners of the remaining divisions in the official results.
| Division | First-placed team |
|---|---|
| Semi-Pro Xball | New York Wrecking Crew |
| Division 2 Xball | Gulf Coast Ragtag Army |
| Division 3 Xball | Outlaw AP Prime |
| Division 4 Xball | Hydra Kidz |
| Division 5 Xball | New Jersey Filthy 5 |
| Division 3 five-player | Knoxville Knights |
| Division 4 five-player | Hydra |
| Division 5 five-player | Nola Savages |
| Youth Advanced five-player | AG Kids |
| Classic Open five-player | Image |
| Classic Open seven-player | Image |
| Amateur ten-player | LVL |
| Amateur three-player Xball | WAR |
| Amateur three-player | Big Bill's Warriors |
| Intermediate three-player | INTENT |
| Novice three-player | Bear Ridge 5 |
Source: official final rankings. Youth Advanced five-player listed one team, AG Kids, with zero ranking points.[2]
Broadcast coverage
[edit]Major League Paintball Plus published coverage of the event, including the professional final between Edmonton Impact and Seattle Uprising, professional playoff matches and WNXL competition.[5]
See also
[edit]- National Xball League
- Major League Paintball
- 2026 NXL season
- 2026 WNXL Midwest Open
- 2026 NXL Mid-Atlantic Open
- 2026 NXL Lone Star Open
References
[edit]- PBLeagues – 2026 Midwest Open: dates, venue, divisions and formats.
- PBLeagues – 2026 Midwest Open final rankings.
- PBLeagues – 2026 Midwest Open scores and playoff brackets.
- NXL – 2026 Midwest Open: official event information.
- Major League Paintball Plus – Midwest Open broadcast archive.