PBR announces 2026 World Finals will be in 2 Fort Worth locations

The Professional Bull Riders, based in Fort Worth, announced the PBR Unleash the Beast World Finals will return to Dickies Arena in 2026.

Dickies Arena previously held the finals in 2022 and 2023 after the event moved from Las Vegas. The past two years, AT&T Stadium in Arlington has served as the host of the World Finals.

In a nutshell

The move from Arlington back to Fort Worth was necessary as AT&T Stadium will be hosting FIFA World Cup games, according to a PBR press release.

The event will start at Cowtown Coliseum for the early round, from May 7-10, 2026, before Dickies Arena will host the final, May 14-17, 2026.

“We’re proud to keep the toughest championship in sports right here in Texas, starting the journey at historic Cowtown Coliseum and culminating with crowning our new World Champion at Dickies Arena, also home to the Fort Worth Rattlers of PBR Teams,” said Sean Gleason, CEO and commissioner of PBR, which is headquartered at the Fort Worth Stockyards.

PBR World Finals debuted at Cowtown Coliseum, which hosted the organization’s first event in 1993, in 2024. The 2,400-seat arena was constructed in 1908 and held the world’s first indoor rodeo in 1918, according to its website.

The Tarrant County Commissioners Court approved $1.5 million in funding in 2022, to help facilitate the move and host the finals in the county from 2022-24 according to previous reporting.

What else?

The move back to Fort Worth helps fill a void at Dickies Arena, which will no longer host the American Athletic Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. The league based in Irving announced the 2026 basketball championships will be held in Birmingham, Alabama and then move to Tampa, Florida, in 2027 and 2028. The AAC has been playing the finals at Dickies Arena since the 2020-21 season, according to the league’s website.

Stay tuned

The presale for tickets for Dickies Arena and Cowtown Coliseum begins August 18, ahead of the public sale August 25.