2026-27 Gameplay Policies and Season Structure
The USQ Gameplay Department conducts an extensive review of all league gameplay policies and programs from April to July each season. The team has evaluated season structure for USQ-run events, gender policy, appeals policy, transfer policy, and other gameplay policy changes.
The complete list of gameplay policies is available here. Any questions about the structures, policies, or programs in this article can be directed to gameplay@usquadball.org.
Highlights
2027 US Quadball Cup Structure: College D1 will be a 12-team division. Club Competitive will remain a 16-team division. College D2 and Club Open will not have a cap on teams.
Season Structure: Bid allocation has been updated to 10 bids in College D1 and 16 bids in Club Competitive. Season play requirements remain the same.
Gender Maximum Policy: Club teams will be required to play three max, with a minimum of two women, unless they opt out of Competitive Division eligibility. The college gender policy remains four max.
Appeals Policy: Failed onsite appeals will burn a team’s timeout or result in a blue card for delay of game.
Transfer Policy: A/B and JV/Varsity teams are limited to three transfers in each direction after the Monday before the first qualifier.
Timeline and key dates: Club teams opting out of three max with a minimum of two women for the season must do so by Jan. 15, 2027.
Evaluation and feedback: Email gameplay@usquadball.org.
2026-27 SEASON STRUCTURE
QUALIFICATION FOR THE 2027 US QUADBALL CUP
USQ will not cap the number of teams allowed to compete at the 2027 US Quadball Cup, meaning all teams interested should plan on attending and will be allowed to compete. The tournament will be divided into the following divisions, each with its own participant cap:
College Division 1 (D1): 12 teams
College Division 2 (D2): No cap
Club Competitive Division: 16 teams
Club Open Division: No cap
As shown above, College Division 1 has been reduced in size to promote competitive balance. The gameplay team remains focused on encouraging college teams to attend Division 1 while making Division 2 a valuable experience for developing teams.
The primary objective of the uncapped divisions will be to provide all teams with games at or close to their competitive level, especially against opponents from other regions. Field space will be available for eliminated teams to continue playing against other interested teams.
2027 USQ Cup bids will be allocated by division as follows:
College
College D1: At least 10 bids will be awarded at national qualifiers, proportional to the number of teams competing at each qualifier. The remaining two at-large bids will be assigned based on the USQ Standings as of 11:59 PM ET on Sunday, March 21, 2027. Teams will not be able to decline any bid they receive at a qualifier, nor an at-large bid if it is made available.
College D2: No bids will be awarded at national qualifiers. All teams who do not qualify for College D1, nor are offered an at-large bid, are eligible for College D2. NOTE: If a college team requires an official invitation to the 2027 USQ Cup from the league for any reason, including to request funding, please email gameplay@usquadball.org.
USQ will use the Huntington-Hill method of apportionment in determining collegiate bid allocation. If the Huntington-Hill method does not yield an equitable distribution of 10 bids, additional bids shall be added until an equitable distribution can be reached.
Club
There will be 16 bids to the 2027 USQ Cup Club Competitive Division awarded at national qualifiers, proportional to the number of bid-eligible teams competing at each qualifier.
If a club team that already received a bid to the 2027 USQ Cup is attending another national qualifier and that team places high enough to earn a bid, the additional bid they would have earned becomes an unassigned at-large bid. At-large bids will be assigned based on the USQ Standings as of 11:59 PM ET on Sunday, March 21, 2027. If a club qualifier does not have the minimum number of teams to compete, USQ will discuss alternative opportunities.
The champion of each national qualifier will be given pot priority at the 2027 USQ Cup. Similar to last year’s structure, if the number of champions does not divide evenly into the size of each pot, then the highest-ranked teams in the USQ Standings will fill the remainder of the pot.
Per the Gender Maximum Policy, a club team will be required to play three max + two women minimum in all official games in order to be eligible for a bid to the 2027 USQ Cup Club Competitive Division. To opt out of this eligibility voluntarily, teams must fill out the Opt Out Form by January 15, 2027. Teams who opt out of competitive division eligibility may still attend national qualifiers, and games between teams that have opted out will be prioritized to the fullest extent possible. If a team has opted out, they must play four max. Any team seeking a less-competitive experience during the regular season and national qualifiers are encouraged to opt out regardless of their ability to adhere to the Gender Maximum Policy for Club Competitive Division teams.
Finally, in order to play in the Club Competitive Division, individual players are required to register their USQ membership by 11:59 PM ET on March 21, 2027. Players who fail to register by this date for any reason will not be permitted to be rostered for any team in the Club Competitive Division of the 2027 USQ Cup. This requirement does not apply to the Club Open Division or either college division.
SEASON PLAY REQUIREMENTS
CAPPED DIVISIONS AT THE 2027 USQ CUP
To qualify for 2027 USQ Cup bids to College D1 or the Club Competitive Division, teams must fulfill season play requirements to ensure that their rank in the USQ Standings roughly reflects their season-long performance. The season play requirements mandate a minimum number of opponents played during the season, a minimum number of games, and competing at a national qualifier. All games played at national qualifiers will count toward season play requirements for allteams.
Teams who earn bids to the 2027 USQ Cup at a qualifier must complete the following standard season play requirements by Sunday, March 21, 2027 to cement their place in the division for which they earned the bid:
Compete in at least eight USQ-official games,*
Compete against at least six different USQ-official teams,*
And attend three events, including a USQ national qualifier.
Teams that do not earn bids for the 2027 USQ Cup must complete the following extended season play requirements in full by Sunday, March 21, 2027 to be eligible for an at-large bid:
Compete in at least 10 USQ official games*,
Compete against at least eight different USQ official teams*,
And attend four events, of which one must be a USQ national qualifier.
Teams who play an official game against at least one opponent who competed at a different national qualifier can complete the standard season play requirements, instead of the extended season play requirements, to be eligible for an at-large bid, as long as they complete the requirements in full by March 21, 2027. College teams that have concerns about meeting season play requirements (particularly those in areas with limited opponents or events) should meet with their collegiate growth coordinator.
*Club teams will only be able to fulfill this requirement by competing against other club teams. College teams may use games against club teams to count for these requirements, if their college permits. Cross-divisional games (college vs. club) will not count for the USQ Standings.
UNCAPPED DIVISIONS AT THE 2027 USQ CUP
Club teams interested in the open division and college teams interested in College D2 will not have to fulfill season play requirements, but are encouraged to attend official events before the 2027 USQ Cup. Unofficial teams that wish to compete in the open division should contact events@usquadball.org.
NATIONAL QUALIFIER ASSIGNMENTS
For the 2026-27 season, all teams must attend at least one national qualifier to qualify for College D1 or the Club Competitive Division at the 2027 USQ Cup. Teams will be assigned to a national qualifier by USQ. To facilitate this process, college teams will rank their top three choices during team registration, and will be assigned to one national qualifier*. Club teams will rank their top three choices during team registration and can also note if they are interested in attending more than one qualifier. USQ will distribute a form to reconfirm qualifier attendance in late November prior to finalizing national qualifier participants.
Qualifier bids will be calculated and publicly announced in early December, along with the list of teams attending each national qualifier. National qualifiers will be allocated bids based on the number of registrants by 11:59 pm ET on December 1, 2026. The remaining at-large bids will be awarded based on the USQ Standings as of 11:59 PM ET on Sunday, March 21, 2027.
USQ requires a minimum qualifier size of five teams for the collegiate division. If a national qualifier does not have five college teams committed to attend by Dec. 1, or if the number of collegiate teams drops below five after that point, the USQ Gameplay and Events Departments will determine whether a qualifier for that collegiate division will occur. If the collegiate division at a qualifier cannot occur, USQ will establish dedicated at-large bids based on the number of teams registered for that qualifier by Dec. 1.
Additional information regarding national qualifier dates and locations will be added here next week.
*In cases where a national qualifier does not have enough collegiate teams to occur, other teams may be allowed to attend that national qualifier in addition to their assigned qualifier. If a college team that has already received a bid to the 2027 USQ Cup is attending another qualifier, and that team places high enough to earn a bid, the additional bid they would have earned becomes an at-large bid.
USQ NATIONAL QUALIFIER SEEDING REQUIREMENTS
USQ Gameplay will seed teams attending national qualifiers for the purposes of drawing teams into pools, using the official USQ Standings. In order to be seeded at a national qualifier, teams must have played a minimum number of official games, as indicated below. All teams that have not yet played the required number of official games will be considered unseeded and will be ranked below all seeded teams for the purposes of the pool draw.
Teams wishing to be seeded at a national qualifier must complete the following requirements two weeks before attending that qualifier:
Compete in at least five USQ official games
Compete against three different teams
Attend two USQ-official events
Additional information on gameplay policies is available here.
GENDER POLICY
As mentioned in last year’s start of season article, USQ Gameplay considered adding the two-women minimum requirement for Club Competitive Division. Analyzing roster composition and playing time, USQ Gameplay determined that the aforementioned policy adjustment would be productive and consistent with USQ’s mission. The success of Major League Quadball’s similar policy supported the feasibility of such a policy. USQ plans to institute the following policies for the upcoming season:
To be eligible for the 2027 USQ Cup Club Competitive Division, club teams will be required to play three max plus two women minimum* in all official games.
College teams will be required to play four max*, as in the 2025-26 season.
*Three max plus two woman minimum (or 3 max + 2 women minimum) refers to a maximum of three players of a single gender allowed on pitch during the seeker floor, and a maximum of four players of a single gender allowed on pitch while the flag runner is on the field. Additionally, two women must be on pitch at all times. Four max (or 4 max) refers to a maximum of four players of a single gender allowed on pitch at any time during a game.
Throughout the 2026-27 season, the USQ Gameplay will continue to evaluate this policy, its impact on the sport and community, and how it aligns with USQ’s organizational goals of inclusivity and diversity.
USQ offers a Women in Quadball Membership Grant and recruitment incentive program. You can learn more and apply here.
APPEALS POLICY
Failed on-site appeals (either the appeal is invalid or the appeal is denied) will now result in the forfeiture of the appealing team’s timeout. If a team has already used their timeout, the team’s speaking captain will receive a blue card for delay of game.
As a reminder, an on-site appeal must be submitted during a stoppage in play and will only be valid if one of the following are true:
A straight red card has been issued which the team believes is not a valid card for the foul called by the head ref
The game clock has been incorrectly managed with a direct impact on the game (e.g. if the flag runner and/or seekers are released early)
A scorekeeping discrepancy has occurred, i.e. a goal was added by the scorekeeper that was not called by the head ref, or the head ref called a goal that was not added by the scorekeeper
A gross misapplication of the rules has resulted in a direct impact on the outcome of the game. Gross misapplications of the rules should not require video review. It should be clear from talking to referees that such a misapplication occurred. Judgement calls do not apply. The following are considered judgement calls and are not valid appeals:
If a player was beat or not
Whether the quadball went through the hoop or not
Whether contact from behind took place or not
Any non-red card contact fouls
If a goal took place before or after a foul
If a seeker had full control of the flag during a catch or not
All game appeals must be initiated by one of the teams playing. USQ may elect to implement tournament-specific appeals policies to supplement this policy (such as for the USQ Cup). Please review the full Game Appeal Policy for more information about appeals.
COLLEGE ENROLLMENT REQUIRMENT
This season, USQ will allow collegiate players that graduate and/or leave their school during the active school year to finish the remainder of their season playing with their college team, notwithstanding their college’s policies prohibiting such. Enrollment will only be verified when a player registers, and players will still be allowed to transfer freely upon graduation if they so choose.
TRANSFER POLICY
The Transfer Policy has been revised to limit the number of transfers teams from the same university (Varsity/JV) or between Club A/B teams can make during the qualifier season.
Before the last Monday before the first qualifier: Players may transfer freely between teams at their university or A/B teams without limit.
After the last Monday before the first qualifier: If either or both of the teams have earned a bid for College D1 or the Club Competitive Division of USQ Cup, up to three players can transfer between teams at their university or A/B teams in each direction (i.e. a maximum of three players move from the B-team to the A-team, and a maximum of three players may move from the A-team to the B-team). The only exception to this is if a club team without a bid has opted out of the Club Competitive Division, in which case this rule no longer applies and players may continue to freely transfer between the two teams.
This limit is established to ensure that the USQ Standings are more representative of team strength throughout the full duration of the season.
Additionally, a leaguewide transfer deadline has been instituted. All transfers, regardless of division, must be submitted by 11:59 PM ET on Monday, April 12. Transfers submitted after this date will not be approved.
Please review the full Player Transfer Policy for more information about transfers.
STANDINGS FORMULA
After a review of previous years’ results dating back to the 2022-23 season, a “Qualifier Strength Modifier” will be added to the Strength of Schedule calculation for college teams only. USQ Gameplay found that the introduction of a strength modifier to previous years’ data generally identified teams who were “underseeded” entering the national tournament and overperformed their original seeding. Thus, the intent of this strength modifier is to more accurately reflect the relative strength of the teams attending each national qualifier.
The strength modifier will be calculated based on the results of the most recent USQ Cup (i.e. the 2026-27 season will use the results from 2026 USQ Cup). The win-loss records of each team assigned to each 2027 national qualifier will be summed, with games involving two teams assigned the same 2027 national qualifier removed, as well as games involving teams not participating in the 2026-27 season. The resulting value represents each national qualifier’s aggregate win percentage against all other qualifiers. In the standings formula, the strength modifier will be multiplied against the raw Strength of Schedule value to yield a modified Strength of Schedule.
The other elements of the standings formula will remain unchanged. Please review the full Standings Formula for the complete methodology.
OTHER
Some gameplay policies have been merged for simplicity. These include the following:
In addition, the Player Number Policy was removed, as it is covered under Rule 2.5.4 in the current rulebook.
Please review the full list of gameplay policies for information about key policies that are not changing from the 2026-27 season. USQ Gameplay wishes to remind teams of the following key policies:
Disciplinary reports must be submitted to USQ Gameplay using the Player Disciplinary Conduct Review Form within one week of the incident. USQ Gameplay does not review disciplinary cases that are not submitted via this form.
Individuals with disabilities or conditions that may require specific equipment not denoted in the Equipment Policy must submit an Equipment Waiver in advance of the event at which the equipment would be used.
Members must abide by the official member code of conduct and unlawful harassment policy.
The 2026-27 season will be played under 2026 USQ Rulebook, which will be released alongside officials certification on Sept. 3. There will be no major rule changes.
TIMELINE AND KEY DATES
The following are general deadlines for season play requirements and other gameplay policies:
Dec. 1, 2026, at 11:59 pm ET: Registration deadline for national qualifier bid calculation
Jan. 15, 2027, at 11:59 pm ET: Three-max opt out deadline and national qualifier registration deadline
January 25, 2027: Transfer limitations begin
March 21, 2027, at 11:59 pm ET: At-large gameplay requirements and season play requirements deadline
March 21, 2027, at 11:59 pm ET: USQ Standings freeze for 2027 USQ Cup seeding
March 21, 2027, at 11:59 pm ET: Individual registration deadline for USQ Cup Club Competitive Division eligibility
March 24, 2027, at 11:59 pm ET: Team registration deadline for the 2027 USQ Cup
April 12, 2027, at 11:59 pm ET: Roster deadline for the 2027 USQ Cup and leaguewide transfer deadline
The following deadlines apply to an event with official games. All forms referenced live on the Gameplay Policies and Waivers page:
At least four weeks before the event:
Submit the game or tournament to USQ using the USQ Event Submission Form
All official games/tournaments are required to be submitted
If you are hosting an unofficial game/tournament and would like it featured on the USQ calendar and social media, you must submit the game and/or tournament to USQ
Appoint a certified tournament director
If applicable: submit the USQ Event Sanctioning Application
Late responses will not be accommodated
One week before the event:
If applicable: email gameplay@usquadball.org to request a shortened pitch if necessary
Wednesday evening before the event:
Participating teams must submit their rosters
Info on roster submission will be shared with tournament directors and teams prior to their tournament. A spreadsheet will be shared by the tournament director and teams will enter their roster information.
24 hours before the event:
Any changes to a participating teams roster after submission on Wednesday must be emailed to membership@usquadball.org. Participating team rosters are locked 24 hours before the event.
Participating teams must have a fully certified coach. Coaches should have upgraded or purchased coach membership by the Wednesday night roster submission deadline.
Two days after the event:
Submit post-event forms and scores to USQ
If applicable: Email any forfeits at tournament to gameplay@usquadball.org
The deadlines for the team referee and flag runner requirements vary. Teams must complete the team referee and flag runner requirements by the season play deadline for that specific event (two weeks before the event).
If a team does not complete these requirements by the deadline, it must complete them by 24 hours before its next scheduled official event or risk losing their ability to attend the event. In cases of potential disqualification, USQ will set a timeline on a case-by-case basis and communicate to affected teams.
USQ-HOSTED EVENTS
USQ will be hosting the USQ All Star Weekend on Oct. 10-11 in Middlebury, Vt. USQ will also be hosting two additional invitationals and five USQ National Qualifiers to be announced next week. Information will be made available here as they are announced. This includes detailed additional deadlines for teams to be aware of (including hotel stay and play, tournament registration, etc.).
As previously announced, the 2027 USQ Cup will take place in La Vista, Neb. on April 17-18 with a High Performance Training Camp on Monday, April 19. Early bird tickets and training camp registration will go on sale in October.
EVALUATION AND FEEDBACK
USQ Gameplay is continually evaluating possible changes to the USQ season structure and policies. Some changes that the team evaluated for the 2026-27 season which were not implemented, but may be considered for future seasons, include:
Reintroducing the club circuit points framework (previously used in the 2019-20 season)
Separating the club and college seasons (i.e. separate qualifiers and championship tournaments)
A gameplay requirement for individual players to roster for a team participating in the Club Competitive division in at least one official tournament to be eligible for selection to their roster at USQ Cup
Limitations to participation in Club Open Division
Reducing the maximum roster size for club teams (either for all teams or Open Division teams only)
Adjustments to the gender policy for college teams
Mandatory conferences for college teams (with expanded organizational support for conferences)
Your feedback is important to us so we can make adjustments where necessary. Please do not hesitate to contact USQ with questions, comments, thoughts, or ideas at gameplay@usquadball.org. Questions and comments about Tournament Director Certification or hosting an event can be emailed to events@usquadball.org.
Quadball is your sport, and you always have the opportunity to positively impact the direction it grows. If you’re interested in joining the gameplay department and helping to guide the league’s gameplay structures and policies, or have interest in helping USQ in another department, you can learn more about opportunities available here.
