Round 1 Schedule
Registration for Round 1 of the Wilson Cup will begin on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at 6:00PM EST. Have your AxeScores ID ready as well as the venue at which you plan to throw in order to register.
Round 1 of the Wilson Cup will take place from Friday March 20 to Sunday, March 22, 2026.
Round 1 competitions are run by the IATF member locations that hosted leagues throughout the Qualification Period.
Players will usually compete at their usual IATF league location, however, competition at another IATF member is possible (see FAQs below).
Round 1 Competition Format
Round 1 of the Wilson Cup is a competition hosted at IATF member venues around the world. Qualifying players compete against each other in a unique match format consisting of 75 hatchet throws and 15 big axe throws. Round 1 will be scored using Premier rules.
Players are divided into heats of up to 4 players. Each player will start on one of 4 targets. They will begin by throwing 15 axes at one target. Players must throw for Clutch on the 5th, 10th and 15th (final) axe.
Following this set of 15 axes, all players will move one target to the right, with the player on the 4th target moving to the 1st target. They will then continue by throwing another set of 15 axes at this target, again, with the requirement to throw for Clutch on the 5th, 10th and 15th (final) axe.
Following this second set of 15 axes, all players will move one target to the right, with the player on the 4th target moving to the 1st target. They will repeat this process of throwing 15 axes and moving to the right until they have thrown 75 total axes.
Once the 75 hatchet throws are completed, each player will individually throw 15 Big Axes.
All scores will be recorded in AxeScores, however, the throwers and scorekeepers should communicate the total score for each set of 15 axes and the 15 Big Axes to the players to ensure that each set of axes are recorded accurately. It is the responsibility of the throwers to ensure their scores are accurate.
Qualifiers
The IATF and its members hosted over 20,000 rostered players in eligible leagues during the 2025-2026 League Qualification Period. Of these players, more than 1,900 have qualified for Round 1.
Please click the button to see the list of qualifiers. The list is arranged alphabetically by last name, then first name.
How to Register
Congratulations to this year's qualifiers! To compete in Round 1 between Friday, March 20, 2026 Sunday, March 22, 2026, you must register via the IATF store. Registration is $45.00 USD and opens Wednesday, March 11 at 6:00 pm EDT.
During registration, please provide your AxeScores ID. This will allow the IATF to correctly identify you as the registrant. Your AxeScores ID can be found on the List of Qualifiers.
Throwers will be asked to declare if they intend to throw out of their Qualifying Club. If you intend to throw Round 1 somewhere else, you will be asked to indicate where so that we may alert the respective venues. All throwers should contact the venue at which they will be throwing for details on when they can compete.
Once you have registered, keep your receipt handy, you may need to show it when you arrive at Round 1 on March 20th, 21st, or 22nd. It is the responsibility of the thrower to verify when their venue is hosting Round 1.
Following Round 1
Following Round 1, the players with the top performances from each participating IATF member organization will advance to Round 2 of the Wilson Cup, held in Toronto in May 2026.
Players' Round 1 performances are ranked among their fellow Qualifying Club players by highest total score of the 75 hatchet throws. Ties are broken by the highest total score from the 15 Big Axe throws. Qualifying season averages will be used if the Big Axe scores do not break the tie.
Round 2 will include 256 players. 71 spots are reserved for winners on the Integrated Tournament Circuit (Grand Slams, Majors, Regionals), last year's IATC Champion, and the winner of Close But No Cigar 2026. Each IATF member organization is allocated a portion of the 185 remaining Round 2 spots based on their total league participation during the Qualification Period. Click the button below for an estimate of the 2026 Round 2 spot allocation.
Players' tournament seed in Round 2 is determined by their Round 1 performance. This means the IATC Champion, Tournament Circuit Winners, and Regionals Winners must register and compete in Round 1 to be seeded in Round 2.
Invitations to Round 2 will begin on Wednesday, March 25th, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can still compete on March 20-22 at another IATF venue hosting Round 1. Please indicate the venue when you register. If you have already registered or your plans change, please send an email to the IATF (info@iatf.com) and both IATF venues indicating this change.
No, Round 1 heats must be completed March 20 to 22. Round 1 is the first round of a tournament. With the addition of the required Clutch every 5th throw, we have increased the flexibility for venues to host Round 1 across multiple days and for throwers to plan their participation to best fit their schedule.
Yes, however, you must provide the other player's AxeScores ID. Otherwise the IATF will not be able to correctly identify who the registration is for.
Yes. Bids awarded via the tournament circuit (Grand Slams, Majors, RATC) are for Rounds 1 AND 2 of the Wilson Cup. Throwers who have won these bids must participate in Round 1 in order to advance to Round 2. Their participation is for seeding purposes only and they will advance regardless of their performance.
Based on analysis of players who compete in both Standard and Premier, the IATF has determined that generally there is a 6 point difference in averages between Premier and Standard. Averages from Standard and Premier seasons will be compared by applying a 6 point addition to the Premier average.