The Road to Vegas

Entering this year’s championship, every team starts the weekend with a chance to become world champions, though the bottom three need to work a little harder to wear the crown.

The format rewards the season’s best while keeping the door wide open for Cinderella stories.

The Florida Freedom, who finished No. 1 in the regular-season standings, headline the field. Joining them with automatic byes into Saturday night’s event are the Austin Gamblers (No. 2) and the Texas Rattlers (No. 3) — each earning the right to rest while the others battle their way through the gauntlet.

Meanwhile, the teams ranked 8 through 10 — the Kansas City Outlaws, Oklahoma Wildcatters and New York Mavericks — will fight for survival on Friday night in a unique three-way play-in game to determine who claims the final spot in the main bracket. Only one of those three can advance, while the others will see their seasons end before the bright lights of Vegas fully take hold.

Also on Friday, the No. 4 Arizona Ridge Riders take on the No. 7 Missouri Thunder, and the No. 5 Carolina Cowboysplay the No. 6 Nashville Stampede. The two losing teams will meet the winner of the Outlaws-Wildcatters-Mavericks clash in another wild three-way game, with the winner heading to Saturday’s quarterfinals.

The bracket competition continues with Florida, Austin and Texas playing Friday’s advancing teams before Saturday night climaxes with yet another three-way last chance game, increasing the drama and intrigue to set the field for Championship Sunday.

Expect the Unexpected

Fans know that anything can happen in Vegas. Just look back to 2022 — no one believed the Nashville Stampede would even make it to Sunday, let alone win the whole thing. But they shocked the world, knocking off one contender after another until they stood on top as champions.

That’s the magic of this format. A team like Florida can dominate the regular season or scrape its way in like New York — and still walk away with the buckle. Every ride matters, every second counts and every decision can change the course of a season.

Personally, I still believe the top eight should be the ones to fill out the bracket, but I don’t have an office in PBR’s headquarters on Mule Alley. There’s no denying that the ride-in round adds just enough chaos to make this weekend unforgettable. Because once the gates open in Vegas, rankings don’t mean a thing. It’s all about heart, balance, timing and who can make the whistle when it matters most.

A Season Worth Remembering

From Florida’s dominance to New York’s late-season surge, the 2025 season has delivered nonstop intensity. Every stop brought its own moments of glory — career rides, dramatic comebacks and flashes of greatness from riders chasing their own slice of PBR history.

Congratulations to the Florida Freedom on capturing the regular-season crown and setting the pace for everyone else to follow. John Crimber made more news for the team in winning his second consecutive league MVP award. He joins Jose Vitor Leme as the four-year-old league’s only MVPs. Leme will be back from injury, riding for the talent-stacked No. 2 Austin Gamblers.

As we all know, nothing comes easy in this sport. Vegas has a way of rewriting stories, and by the time Championship Sunday ends, one team will have etched its name into PBR history.

Ticket Information

For fans who want to experience this unforgettable weekend live, tickets for the 2025 PBR Camping World Team Series Championship inside T-Mobile Arena are available now. Click HERE for ticket information and more.

If you can’t make it to Las Vegas, you can still catch every ride, heartbreak and celebration on FOX Nation on Friday and the CW Network on Saturday and Sunday. Click HERE for the full television schedule.

Beyond the Dirt

The Midwest Outdoors Adaptability Foundation carries the same spirit of resilience as bull riding while changing lives off the dirt by providing access to the Action Trackchair, a groundbreaking all-terrain wheelchair giving people with mobility challenges the freedom to experience the outdoors without limits.

But here’s the harsh truth: no insurance will cover these life-changing pieces of equipment, and their hefty $25,000 price tag puts them out of reach for the very people who need them most. That’s why the Midwest Outdoors Adaptability Foundation exists — to bridge that gap and make the impossible possible.

To learn more — and to be part of helping someone reclaim that freedom — visit www.moafoundation.org.