Competition Structure
The WFDF 2026 World Team Disc Golf Championship is played in two divisions – Open and Masters.
Each division has eight scheduled rounds, with the Championship progressing through three stages:
- Rounds 1–6 – Swiss Stage
- Round 7 – Semi-Finals and Lower-Field Swiss Round
- Round 8 – Medal and Placement Matches
There are no fixed pools. All teams begin together in one Swiss field within their division.
Championship Path
How teams progress through the eight-round WTDGC competition.
Swiss Stage
All teams compete in one Swiss field within their division. After six rounds, the standings determine which teams advance to the medal play-offs.
Round 7 – Semi-Finals
2nd v 3rd
Winners advance to the Gold Medal Match. Losing teams advance to the Bronze Medal Match.
Medal Matches
Bronze Medal Match
These Matches determine final positions 1–4.
Round 7 – Lower-Field Swiss
Teams continue in one additional Swiss round. Results from Rounds 1–6 are carried forward and the standings are not reset.
Placement Matches
7th v 8th
9th v 10th
and so on
Each Match directly determines the final positions of the two teams involved.
Rounds 1–6 – Swiss Stage
All teams compete through six Swiss rounds.
Round 1 pairings are determined from the Initial Team Seeding.
From Round 2 onwards, teams are paired using the Swiss system, with teams generally playing opponents with the same or a similar number of Match Points.
The system seeks to avoid repeat Matches where possible, although a rematch may occur if necessary to create a valid complete set of pairings.
Each team plays one Match per round, except where a Swiss Bye is required because the number of teams in the field is odd.
After Round 6, the official standings are calculated and the top four teams advance to the Semi-Finals.
How Match Results Affect the Standings
Each national-team Match consists of four Games played simultaneously:
- two Singles Games
- two Modified Alternate-Shot Doubles Games
Each individual Game awards:
- Win – 2 Game Points
- Draw – 1 Game Point
- Loss – 0 Game Points
With four Games in each Match, 8 Game Points are available.
The combined Game results determine the overall Match result. The teams then receive:
- Match win – 2 Match Points
- Match draw – 1 Match Point
- Match loss – 0 Match Points
Match Points are the primary basis for the Swiss standings.
Round 7 – Semi-Finals
After Round 6, the top four teams leave the Swiss field and advance to the Semi-Finals:
Semi-Final 1: 1st v 4th
Semi-Final 2: 2nd v 3rd
The winners advance to the Gold Medal Match.
The losing teams advance to the Bronze Medal Match.
Semi-Final Matches must produce a winner.
Round 7 – Lower-Field Swiss Round
Teams ranked 5th and lower after Round 6 continue with one additional Swiss round.
Their results from Rounds 1–6 are carried forward – the standings are not reset.
Round 7 pairings are generated using the same Swiss principles, but only among the teams remaining in the lower field.
The standings after Round 7 determine the Round 8 Placement Matches.
Round 8 – Medal Matches
The two Semi-Final winners meet in the Gold Medal Match, determining 1st and 2nd place.
The two Semi-Final losers meet in the Bronze Medal Match, determining 3rd and 4th place.
Both Medal Matches must produce a winner.
Round 8 – Placement Matches
All teams outside the Top Four play one final Placement Match.
Teams are paired according to their positions in the standings after Round 7:
5th v 6th
7th v 8th
9th v 10th
11th v 12th
…and so on through the remaining field.
Each Placement Match directly determines the final Championship positions of the two teams involved.
For example, the winner of the 5th v 6th Match finishes 5th, while the losing team finishes 6th.
Placement Matches must produce a winner.
Standings & Tie-Breaks
Standings are recalculated after every Swiss round.
Teams are ranked first by Total Match Points. Where teams are tied, the applicable tie-break criteria are used.
For standings that determine progression to the Semi-Finals after Round 6 or Round 8 Placement Matches after Round 7, head-to-head criteria may also apply where all teams remaining in the tie have played each other.
The official system also considers performance against opponents, Total Game Points, opponents’ results and, if required, Initial Team Seeding.
Because some tie-break values depend on opponents’ later results, standings can change as other Matches are completed. Teams should therefore rely on the official published standings.
Official Pairings
Swiss pairings are generated only after the preceding results have been completed, checked and confirmed.
Teams should not attempt to determine their next opponent from the live standings alone.
A pairing becomes official only once it has been published by the competition organisers.
Official Match information will include the opponent, assigned course and starting hole or tee time.
Competition Format Participant Guide
The complete competition procedures – including Swiss pairing, standings and tie-break rules, Swiss Byes, Match Rosters, time-cap procedures and other Championship rules – are available in the official WTDGC 2026 Competition Format Participant Guide.