National Qualifier Assignments and Bid Allocation
As outlined in August's gameplay update, USQ Gameplay has assigned national qualifier tournaments to collegiate and club teams and allocated USQ Cup bids to each tournament based on the number of teams attending.
Collegiate qualification for USQ Cup Division 1 is determined by bids earned at national qualifiers, with a small number of at-large bids available later in the season. Club competitive qualification works similarly this year.
Collegiate Division
As announced at the start of the USQ season, the collegiate side of USQ Cup is comprised of two divisions: Division 1 (16 teams) and Division 2 (uncapped). Based on the number of teams that registered for each collegiate qualifier by the Dec. 1 deadline and using the Huntington-Hill method, USQ Cup College Division 1 bids are distributed as follows:
| National Qualifier | Attending Team Count | D1 Bids |
|---|---|---|
| Garland, Texas | 5 | 2 |
| Champaign County, Ill. | 9 | 4 |
| Howard County, Md. | 13 | 6 |
In total, 12 Division 1 bids will be awarded at qualifiers. The remaining four Division 1 bids will be distributed through the at-large system based on games played before March 16. Teams who do not earn a Division 1 bid at qualifiers are eligible for for at-large entry to Division 1.
This year, USQ will not be awarding Division 2 bids. Division 2 is open to all college teams that wish to attend.
The college qualifier assignments are based on registration responses. There may be additional teams attending qualifiers that did not complete the form.
| Garland, Texas (Jan. 31 - Feb. 1) | Howard County, Md. (Feb. 28 - March 1) | Champaign County, Ill. (March 7-8) |
|---|---|---|
| UCLA Quadball | RPI Quadball | BG Quadball |
| SHSU Quadball | Brandeis Quadball | Illini Ridgebacks |
| Texas Quadball | Boston University Quadball | Minnesota Quadball |
| UTSA Club Quadball | Emerson College Quadball | Purdue Club Quadball |
| Texas State Quadball | CWRUcio Quadball | Creighton QC |
| Brown Bears Quadball | Michigan Quadball | |
| Middlebury Quadball | Michigan State Quadball | |
| Harvard Horntails | Mizzou Quadball | |
| Quadball Club at Pitt | Blue Jay QC | |
| University of Vermont Quadball | ||
| UVA | ||
| Rutgers University Quadball | ||
| Triangle United |
Club Division
The 2026 USQ Cup will feature two club divisions: the Club Competitive Division (16 teams) and the Club Open Division (uncapped).
USQ Cup Club Competitive Division bids are allocated based on the Huntington-Hill Method. Club teams may attend multiple qualifiers, and for the purposes of calculations, will toward the bid allocation for both events.
Based on the number of teams that signed up for each qualifier by the Dec. 1 deadline, 12 bids will be distributed as follows:
| National Qualifier | Attending Team Count | Competitive Bids |
|---|---|---|
| Garland, Texas | 4 | 2 |
| Snohomish County, Wash. | 5 | 2 |
| York County, S.C. | 10 | 4 |
| Champaign County, Ill. | 11 | 4 |
Remaining bids will be distributed through the at-large system beginning March 23, for a total of 16 teams.
These club qualifier assignments are based on the registration responses. There may be additional teams attending qualifiers that did not complete the form.
| Garland, Texas (Jan. 31 - Feb. 1) | York County, S.C. (Feb. 21-22) | Champaign County, Ill. (March 7-8) | Snohomish County, Wash. (March 7-8) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Copperheads | The Washups | Boom Train | The Lost Boys |
| Brew Cities Quadball Club | New York Slice | Trainwreck | The Second Stars |
| Reign QC | New Jersey Dice | Boston Lobsters | Bay Area Breakers |
| Texas Hill Country Heat | Philadelphia Flamingos | Brew Cities Quadball Club | Seattle Sirens |
| Carolina Reapers | Chaos QC | Silicon Valley Vipers | |
| Chaos QC | Chicago United | ||
| DC Quadball Club | DC Quadball Club | ||
| Atlantic Dragons | Reign QC | ||
| River Runners Quadball Club | Vermont United | ||
| Washington Monuments | Ohio Apollos | ||
| Orlando Quadball Club |
General Deadlines
Deadlines specific to each USQ National Qualifier can be reviewed here.
As a reminder from the beginning of season gameplay article, seasonal deadlines are as follows:
Dec. 1, 2025, at 11:59 pm ET: Registration deadline for national qualifier bid calculation (already passed)
Dec. 15, 2025 at 11:59 pm ET: USQ Stay and Play policy exemption request deadline
Jan. 15, 2026, at 11:59 pm ET: 3-max opt out (club only) deadline and final national qualifier registration deadline
March 22, 2026, at 11:59 pm ET: At-large gameplay requirements deadline
March 23, 2026 at 11:59 pm ET: Registration deadline for 2026 USQ Cup
March 29, 2026, at 11:59 pm ET: Season play requirements deadline
March 29, 2026, at 11:59 pm ET: USQ Standings freeze for 2026 USQ Cup seeding
March 30, 2026 at 11:59 pm ET: Fine accrued for failure to pay 2026 USQ Cup registration fee by previous deadline
April 6, 2026 at 11:59 pm ET: Additional fine accrued for failure to pay 2026 USQ Cup registration fee by previous deadlines
April 12, 2026, at 11:59 pm ET: Roster deadline for 2026 USQ Cup
Please review the qualifier deadlines shown on the USQ Qualifiers page. The link to book hotels for all qualifiers (except Snohomish County, Wash.) are currently available. We will follow up with teams attending the USQ West National Qualifier when booking opens. Teams must abide by the USQ Stay and Play policy, even if attending multiple qualifiers, unless they have an approved Stay and Play exemption. The deadline to apply for a Stay and Play exemption is Dec. 15 for both USQ National Qualifiers and the 2026 USQ Cup.
If you are interested in volunteering or officiating at a USQ National Qualifier, please complete this form. USQ staff will reach out to applicants beginning mid-January.
For questions about bid allocation, qualifier assignments and standings, please contact gameplay@usquadball.org.
