The 2025 ACL World Championships are right around the corner, and there are a ton of new things taking place. Amongst them are the ‘Challenger Brackets,” where hundreds of players will compete for the final few spots in the Pro Doubles, Pro Singles, and Women’s, Senior and Junior brackets. There are still a few unknowns about the process and format, so today I’m diving deep into it, going over everything you need to know about the Challenger Brackets.
Who’s already qualified?
In Pro Singles, there are only 40 spots in the main Pro Singles tournament. The top 32-ranked players have solidified their spots based on standings. There will be four Pro Singles brackets, so the 32 already-qualified players will take up the 1-8 seeds in each bracket.
1 seeds:
- Jamie Graham
- Tony Smith
- Mark Richards
- Jay Rubin
2 seeds:
- Austin Waskow
- Sammy Soto
- Logan Chamberlain
- Trey Burchfield
3 seeds:
- Gavin Cano
- Justin Burton Jr
- Derek Holland
- Gabriel Clauson
4 seeds:
- Zack Aiken
- Cash Chamness
- Alex Rawls
- Jordan Power
5 seeds:
- Matt Guy
- Tye Thompson
- Ethan Walker
- Spencer Fabionar
6 seeds:
- Mason Traiteur
- Devon Harbaugh
- Gage Landis
- Tony Forbes
7 seeds:
- Jackson Gore
- Colby Shearer
- Ryker Wells
- Erick Davis
8 seeds:
- Colin Hodet
- Hunter Thorson
- Bret Guy
- Collin Powers
In Pro Doubles, there are only 24 spots in the main bracket, and the top 20 teams have automatically qualified, taking up the first five seeds in each bracket.
1 seeds:
- Mark Richards and Tony Smith
- Jamie Graham and Jacob Trzcienski
- Justin Burton Jr and Logan Chamberlain
- Sammy Soto and Gavin Cano
2 seeds:
- Jordan Power and Cheyenne Bubenheim
- Devon Harbaugh and Jeremiah Ellis
- Brayden Wilson and AJ Sims
- Quinn Reeves and Austin Waskow
3 seeds:
- Bret Guy and Matt Guy
- Alex Rawls and Derek Holland
- Colby Shearer and Matt Wilson
- Ethan Walker and Cody Henderson
4 seeds:
- Zach Akins and Jeremiah Hector
- Philip Lopez Jr and Steven Bernacet
- Jay Rubin and Ryan Traiteur
- Eian Cripps and Jimmy Youmans
5 seeds:
- Hunter Thorne and Hunter Thorson
- Mason Traiteur and Cash Chamness
- Ryker Wells and Frank Verona
- Eddie Grinderslev and Dillon Turpin
How do the Challenger brackets work?
If you are in the top 250 in Pro Singles standings and did not qualify for the main brackets, you are eligible to play in the Challenger brackets. The Challenger brackets are also open to the top Elite players who are in the top 250, as well as any former World Champion who did not qualify.
For Pro Doubles, it's open to any Pro or Elite team inside the top 125 who did not qualify, as well as any former World Champion who did not qualify.
Once registrations are finalized, participants will be split into eight brackets in Singles, four in doubles, and play a standard double-elimination tournament. The winners of each bracket will win their spot into the final Pro Singles and Pro Doubles brackets.
The Challenger brackets will be just as entertaining as the main event, and you are not going to want to miss it. Pro Doubles Challenger brackets start at 12:30 on Tuesday, July 29, and Singles is 9:00 am on Wednesday, July 30. You can catch all the action on the American Cornhole League social media pages. I will see you at the Rock!
