Editing 2026 NXL season (section)

== Playing formats ==

=== Five-player X-Ball ===

The registration records specified the following standard match lengths and mercy limits:[3][4][5]

{| class="wikitable"
! Division
! Match time
! Mercy limit
|-
| Professional
| 15 minutes
| Six-point lead
|-
| WNXL professional
| 15 minutes
| Five-point lead
|-
| Semi-Professional and Division 2
| 15 minutes
| Five-point lead
|-
| Divisions 3 and 4
| 12 minutes
| Four-point lead
|-
| Division 5
| 10 minutes
| Three-point lead
|}

=== Three-player X-Ball ===

Professional three-player competition at the first three events was divided into East and West groups, with separate results and standings. At Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, the registered format was twelve-minute X-Ball with a five-point mercy limit.[1][3][4]

Amateur three-player X-Ball was listed separately, using six-minute matches with a three-point mercy limit. This was distinct from conventional three-player competition, whose registered games lasted three minutes.[3][4]

The published World Cup registration programme instead specified a combined professional three-player X-Ball category with seven-minute matches and a three-point mercy limit.[6]

=== Other formats ===

The completed events also included conventional Division 3, Division 4 and Division 5 five-player competition, women's amateur five-player, amateur ten-player, Classic five-player and seven-player, and conventional amateur, intermediate and novice three-player divisions.[8][9][10][11]

The registered game lengths were five minutes for conventional five-player, seven minutes for Classic seven-player, ten minutes for amateur ten-player and three minutes for conventional three-player competition.[3][4][5]