USA Wrestling’s flagship Senior-level event, 2026 Final X, presented Kerberos Capital Management, will be held on Friday, June 19, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, alongside the 2026 Beat the Streets New York Annual Benefit.
Final X will determine the 2026 U.S. Senior World Team in two-of-three international disciplines—men’s freestyle and women’s freestyle. In total, 20 weight classes will be contested, 10 in each discipline. The top two U.S. athletes in each weight class will wrestle a best-of-three series at Final X to determine the U.S. representative for the 2026 Senior World Championships in Manama, Bahrain.
This event will serve as the 2026 BTSNY Annual Benefit, its 16th to date. These unique electrifying events help BTSNY raise critical funds each year to support local youth wrestling programs, which empower young people in New York City. The BTSNY Annual Benefit after-party takes place at the conclusion of Final X.
BTSNY provides a safe, positive environment for student-athletes to learn essential life lessons of discipline, perseverance, self-reliance, humility and a strong work ethic through the sport of wrestling.
Session times for Final X will be 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time. An exclusive presale for Final X event-only tickets will start at noon on Thursday, February 12. The general public sale begins at noon on Tuesday, February 17, on Ticketmaster. Fans can also make a generous donation to BTSNY while purchasing wrestling-only tickets on Ticketmaster.
BTSNY Annual Benefit tickets and sponsorship packages, which include access to premier seating at Final X, plus the exclusive after-party, are currently available at btsny.org. For more information on ticket packages, email BTSNY Executive Director Bob Seidel at bseidel@btsny.org. Donations and BTSNY Annual Benefit tickets and sponsorship packages directly help BTSNY make a lifelong impact on New York City youth in need.
Eight U.S. wrestlers won a medal at the 2025 Senior World Championships and are eligible to advance directly to the Final X best-of-three series. These athletes must accept their Final X berth and compete in the same weight class in which they won a World medal last summer. The deadline to accept the automatic berth to Final X is Monday, April 13, 2026.
Athletes eligible to advance directly to Final X include Real Woods (65 kg), Levi Haines (79 kg), Zahid Valencia (86 kg), Trent Hidlay (92 kg) and Kyle Snyder (97 kg) in men’s freestyle, plus Helen Maroulis (57 kg), Kennedy Blades (68 kg) and Kylie Welker (76 kg) in women’s freestyle.
Outside of the 2025 Senior World medalist pool, the remaining Final X field will be decided at the U.S. Open on April 23-25 at The Expo at World Market Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, and at the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament on May 14-15 at Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
In weight classes where an athlete has advanced directly to Final X, the U.S. Open champion will earn the opposing Final X spot. In weight classes where no athlete earned an automatic Final X berth, the champions of the U.S. Open and World Team Trials Challenge Tournament will wrestle at Final X.
The U.S. Open does not require any prior qualification to enter the field, outside of being an eligible U.S. citizen and a current member of USA Wrestling. Conversely, athletes must qualify for the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in accordance with the approved World Team Trials procedures for each Olympic discipline, which are available here.
“USA Wrestling, in partnership with Beat the Streets New York, is excited to bring Final X back to Prudential Center to showcase wrestling’s top stars in a world-class venue,” said Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director. “The Final X property continues to elevate in large part due to our event partners and this unique platform provided to our athletes. Come out to Newark and cheer for America’s best, while supporting the foundational work being done by Beat the Streets to build up youth wrestling in New York City.”
“We are honored to partner with USA Wrestling to bring Final X once again to the world-class Prudential Center,” said Bob Seidel, Beat the Streets Executive Director. “As our Annual Benefit, the funds raised through this event help ensure that thousands of New York City boys and girls continue to have access to free wrestling, mentorship and life-skills programming that empower them both on and off the wrestling mat.”
“Prudential Center is proud to host Final X for the third time in four years, establishing Newark as the home of the USA Wrestling World Team Trials,” said Dylan Wanagiel, Vice President, Sports Properties and Special Events, HBSE/Prudential Center. “Final X showcases our nation’s top wrestlers as they compete to represent Team USA on the world stage. We are excited to continue our partnership with USA Wrestling and Beat the Streets to deliver this high-profile event to Newark, and we look forward to welcoming fans from across the country for another historic Final X.”
For more information about Final X, please visit TheMat.com.
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