Grand Finals 2026
Harrah's Cherokee Casino & Resort · November 2–7, 2026
Your path to Cherokee
Both qualifiers are decided, and every team that played one can still buy in. This page is what you need to go, and you're playing for $112,000.
Didn't win your qualifier? You can still go.
For 2026, every team that played a Grand Finals Qualifier can enter the National Grand Finals, not only the winners. In most years entry is limited to the top finishers.
Buy-in closes Monday, September 21, 2026.
Already in from San Antonio
What our qualifier winners leave with
- $8,000 travel fund for the 8-Ball GFQ winner
- $4,000 travel fund for the 10-Ball GFQ winner
- Two paid Nationals entries at $2,750 each
- Jam Up team jerseys for both winning teams
- Travel assistance for both runner-up teams
$17,500+ in cash before jerseys and runner-up assistance.
Your Path Starts Here
Join the league, qualify with your team, and earn your spot at the Grand Finals.
Path to Grand Finals
National Grand Finals November 2–7, 2026
Harrah's Cherokee Casino & Resort · Cherokee, NC
League room rate through September 29
Week schedule
League and Open events across the same week. A number of players enter both.
| Event | Dates | Type |
|---|---|---|
| League Showdown A league-versus-league exhibition; each league sends three players. Contact Carmel to be considered. | November 2 | League |
| National Singles Leaderboard The singles finals. Your ranking decides whether you start in group play or the preliminaries. | November 2–6 | League |
| 8-Ball Teams The main team event. | November 2–7 | League |
| 10-Ball Teams Run in the same format as the 8-Ball. | November 3–6 | League |
| National Pairs | November 3–6 | Open |
| National Mixed Pairs | November 3–6 | Open |
| National Open | November 5–8 | Open |
| National Women's Open | November 6–8 | Open |
| National Junior Open | November 7–8 | Open |
Open events are open to everyone and all are sold out — detail below
Published by Ultimate Pool USA. Times within each day are not yet published.
Watch on Ultimate Pool USA on YouTube
Team payouts
8-Ball Teams
| Finish | Payout |
|---|---|
| Champion | $112,000 |
| Runner-Up | $50,000 |
| Semi-Finalists | $20,000 |
| Quarter-Finalists | $10,000 |
| Last 16 | $3,000 |
| Last 32 | $1,000 |
$282,000 in total, paid down to the Last 32.
10-Ball Teams
| Finish | Payout |
|---|---|
| Champion | $35,000 |
| Runner-Up | $15,000 |
| Semi-Finalists | $8,000 |
| Quarter-Finalists | $3,000 |
| Last 16 | $1,500 |
$90,000 in total, paid down to the Last 16.
Published by Ultimate Pool USA on August 25, 2026. The 8-Ball ladder was extended to the Last 32 for 2026.
Everything is due September 21 — jerseys by September 25, rooms by September 29
Team entries, National Singles entries and the plays requirement are due September 21. Jam Up jersey orders go in by September 25, and the discounted rooms at Harrah's hold until September 29.
Every team at the GFQ can go to Nationals
For 2026, every team that played a Grand Finals Qualifier can enter the National Grand Finals, not only the winners. In most years entry is limited to the top finishers.
- Win your GFQ and your $2,750 entry is paid.
- Every other team can pay to enter, in the format it qualified in.
- Deadline: September 21, 2026 — firm, and the same date for every format including National Singles. Payment is arranged through your league operator.
A week at Harrah's Cherokee with your team, with $112,000 to the 8-Ball Teams champion and $35,000 to the 10-Ball champion.
Plays requirement: check before November
- Teams play Nationals with their Session 3 roster.
- Every player needs 10 total plays for the year.
- Every player needs 4 plays on that team in Session 3.
- 8-Ball and 10-Ball plays count together.
- No exceptions are granted on plays.
Jerseys: order by September 25
Team jerseys are required at the Grand Finals, and the league has operator pricing with Jam Up Apparel for team shirts and jackets, with your team name, logos and player names included. That pricing is only available through the league, so an order starts with an email to Carmel, not to Jam Up.
- Semi-custom: pick any design on the Jam Up Apparel website and it is personalized with your team name, logos and player names at no extra charge. Full custom: a design of your own, with a design fee.
- Orders go in by September 25. That leaves about four weeks for production and delivery before the Grand Finals.
- Have your team name, logo files, player names and sizes ready, and approve the artwork promptly. Late artwork approval is what pushes an order off schedule.
- GFQ-winning teams receive their Jam Up jerseys as part of the prize package. Every other team can order at the same league pricing.
Rooms: the league rate ends September 29
- Book through the league group link, at the league rate. Booking the resort directly or through a travel site puts you outside the block.
- The link keeps working after September 29, but from then on it prices at the resort's normal November rates.
- The rate is what closes, not the resort. Booking late costs more; it does not cost you your room.
Getting to Cherokee
Cherokee is in the Great Smoky Mountains, at least an hour's drive from the nearest commercial airport.
Nearest airports
| Airport | Drive |
|---|---|
| Asheville, NC (AVL) Closest by a wide margin, roughly 60 miles. Small airport, so seats are limited and fares run high. | About 1 hour |
| Knoxville, TN (TYS) Often cheaper than Asheville, and a straightforward drive in from the west. | About 2 hours |
| Greenville–Spartanburg, SC (GSP) Worth pricing when Asheville and Knoxville come back expensive. | About 2.5 hours |
| Charlotte, NC (CLT) Around 170 miles. Large hub, so the most flight options and the easiest connections. | About 3 hours |
| Atlanta, GA (ATL) Usually the cheapest airfare out of Texas, paired with the longest drive. | About 3 hours |
- No nonstop from San Antonio to Asheville. Every routing connects, usually through Dallas/Fort Worth, Atlanta or Charlotte.
- The resort operates no airport shuttle. Ground transport is a rental car or a pre-booked private shuttle. Little is within walking distance of the resort.
- Driving from San Antonio is roughly 1,150 miles, about two days each way.
- Asheville is a small airport with limited November capacity, and league demand concentrates on the same dates.
The entry deadline does not reserve flights, cars or rooms. Those are booked separately.
Travel help
Pablo Munoz, Pablo Munoz Travel
210-990-6941 · pablomunoztravel@gmail.com · pablomunoztravel.globaltravel.com
Pablo Munoz plays in the league and operates a travel advisory business. For the Grand Finals he has offered to assist members with flights, rental cars, airport transfers and family travel. Planning fees, if any, are set by his agency.
For the 2026 Grand Finals only, not a standing league service. Rooms go through the league group link, not an agent. Pablo is a resource we are passing along rather than an official league partner, and anything you book is between you and his agency.
National Singles Leaderboard
Finish the qualification period in the top 8 of your UPScore class and you are seeded straight into the money round at Nationals, which means you have secured a payout before you play your first match.
- Your ranking is built from the individual matches you already play for your team every week.
- $3,000 to each class champion, based on a 100-player field.
- Entry is $110 for the year, purchased through the UPL app.
- Complete at least 10 eligible individual matches during the qualification period to appear on the official leaderboard.
- Deadline to enter: September 21, 2026 — the same firm date as team entries for every format.
- GFQ matches count toward neither the National Singles Leaderboard nor your UPscore.
- New for 2026: NSL Singles runs separate divisions, with no more combined C/D competition.
Classifications
| Class | UPScore |
|---|---|
| Semi-Pro | 641 and above |
| A Class | 561–640 |
| B Class | 481–560 |
| C Class | 401–480 |
| D Class | 400 and below |
Your class is set by your UPScore rating, and you are ranked only against players in the same class.
UPL Manual, section 8.4
Where you finish (UPL Manual v4.0)
- 1st–32nd in your class: straight into group play at the Grand Final Singles, with guaranteed prize money.
- 33rd–128th: free entry into the preliminary rounds.
- 129th and below: direct entry at $175.
Every ranked player nationally, with San Antonio's starred.
At the Grand Finals
Format, Open events, dress code and contacts.
Team format
- Group play first, then a single-elimination bracket.
- Group placement is decided by win/loss record, then overall game win percentage, then the head-to-head result between tied teams.
- Tied team matches are decided by a Scotch Doubles 6-Ball Shootout.
Singles format
- Preliminary rounds are double elimination, then group play, then a single-elimination bracket by class.
- Top NSL finishers enter directly at the group stage.
- Tied matches are decided by a 6-Ball Shootout.
National Open events
Open to everyone, including non-league and professional players. All five are sold out for 2026, both Pairs events included. Good luck to the players holding entries; everyone else can watch.
Entries: National Pairs $200 per pair · National Mixed Pairs $200 per pair · National Open $200 · National Women's Open $120 · National Junior Open $40
Field sizes and top prizes: Open 512 / $20,000 · Women’s Open 128 / $5,000 · Junior’s Open 32 · Pairs and Mixed Pairs 64 pairs each / $5,000. Both Pairs events are race to 6 with partners alternating shots; Mixed Pairs teams are one man and one woman.
League events take scheduling priority where a player is entered in both, and Ultimate Pool has worked with those players rather than forcing forfeits.
Status as of September 1, 2026 · Ultimate Pool USA shop
What to expect
- A dedicated arena at the resort, Brunswick tables under professional lighting, feature matches broadcast live to 20,000–50,000 viewers.
- On-site amenities between matches, and many players bring family along for the week.
- Matches run across several days: group play precedes the bracket, so teams should plan for the full week.
- League rules apply: a 30-minute match clock, a 30-second shot clock, one extension per rack.
Dress code & jerseys
To help maintain a professional playing environment, all players are required to follow the dress code below.
Permitted
- Playing jersey, collared shirt, or polo shirt
- Dress slacks or trousers in any color
- Women may wear neat, full-length leggings
- Smart predominantly black sneakers or dress shoes
- Smart hoodies or jackets may be worn during play
Not permitted
- Hats
- Headphones or earbuds during play
- Team jerseys are required at all Official Ultimate Pool League events at the Grand Finals, and the dress code applies at all times during play.
- GFQ-winning teams receive Jam Up jerseys as part of their prize package. Custom designs may carry an extra cost to the team.
- Jersey ordering is handled through your League Operator at league pricing; see the order window above.
Who to contact
- Heather Parsons, League RepresentativeFirst stop for team-level questions · heather@ultimatepoolsanantonio.com
- Carmel Luttrell, League Operator(210) 651-2635 · carmel@ultimatepoolsanantonio.com