Nashville Stampede Defeat Arizona Ridge Riders to Win 2026 PBR Teams Championship and Become League’s First Two-Time Champions

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Nashville Stampede rode four bulls to defeat the Arizona Ridge Riders at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday, winning the 2026 PBR Teams Championship and becoming the first team in PBR Teams history to repeat as champions. 

“This is something that will never be taken away from them right here. We don’t know what the future holds, but this moment right here these boys will have forever. They were the best team in the world this season. That will never be taken away from them, and I’m very proud of them,” Nashville Stampede Head Coach Justin McBride said on the CW broadcast. “The belt buckles, those things don’t mean anything to me. They really don’t. But a group of young men coming together, sticking with each other through thick and thin…Loving each other and pushing each other and holding each other accountable. All the work they put in that nobody sees. To have a chance to write their own story – that’s what it’s about to me. When they’re old, fat men, this is what they’re going to remember. That belt buckle will be tarnished, the money will be spent, but this memory they made with their teammates will last forever.”

Sunday’s two semifinal matchups were contested in a 6-vs.-6 format, followed by a 7-on-7 Championship Game – both firsts in PBR Teams history.

Nashville defeated Arizona 356.45-268.35 to claim its second PBR Teams title. 

Everton Natan da Silva (Viradouro, Brazil) continued his standout campaign with a Championship Game-opening 90.55 points aboard Dead Red for the Ridge Riders before Alan de Souza (Tremembé, Brazil) claimed the lead for Nashville in the bottom of the first, scoring a personal season-high 91.30 points. Nashville doubled down in the second when Daniel Feitosa (Guaraci, Brazil) topped Yo Mamma for 88.75 points to extend the Stampede’s advantage to 89.50 points. Alisson De Souza (Tremembé, Brazil), Alan’s brother, put Nashville ahead by two scores in the fourth by besting Smooth Whiskey for 87.90 points before Vitor Manoel Dias (Sales, Brazil) kept Arizona in the game and reduced Nashville’s lead to 92 points courtesy of an 85.40-point dance with Corriente. But Gustavo Luiz da Silva (Inocência, Brazil) advanced the Stampede to a 4-for-5 start in the fifth, marked 88.50 points on EmmDee to further the finale’s dramatics, as did Cody Jesus (Window Rock, Arizona), who bested Lights Out for a personal-best 92.40 points to kick off the sixth with a bang, bringing the Ridge Riders within 88.10 points. However, in Arizona’s second must-ride chance, Alex Cerqueira bucked off in the seventh, and Nashville was crowned the 2026 PBR Teams Champions. 

The 2026 Cinderella story Arizona Ridge Riders defeated the No. 2 Austin Gamblers during the Semifinals’ opener, while the Nashville Stampede beat the No. 5 Texas Rattlers to create Sunday’s rematch of the inaugural 2022 PBR Teams Championship game. 

The red-hot Ridge Riders went 5-for-6 to upset the Gamblers in Game 1, which featured four consecutive rides, including conversions from Everton Natan da Silva (Viradouro, Brazil), Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil), Eduardo Aparecido (Gouvelandia, Brazil) and Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) as the Ridge Riders were in front of the Gamblers by .30 points, 178.90-178.60. Elizmar Jeremias (Anapu, Brazil) extended Arizona’s lead in the top of the fourth, scored 89.90 points aboard Smack Ya to put the Ridge Riders up 90.20 points before Sage Steele Kimzey (Strong City, Oklahoma) recorded an 87.20-point conversion on Simon Says to reduce Arizona’s lead to 3 points. The high-scoring contest raged on, as Eric Novoa (Vacaville, California) scored a personal season-best 89.85 points atop Heavy Load to improve the Ridge Riders’ lead to 92.85 points in the top of the fifth. Vitor Manoel Dias (Sales, Brazil) made the most of his PBR Teams postseason debut in the top of the sixth, scoring 90.05 points on Tankums to finalize the 448.70-265.80 win for the surging Ridge Riders. 

The Nashville Stampede rode three bulls to beat the Texas Rattlers 269.40-179.15 during Sunday’s second semifinal showdown. Daniel Keeping (Montague, Texas) began Game 2 with an 8-second effort on Sucker Pop for 88.85 points before fellow leadoff rider Alan de Souza (Tremembé, Brazil) went the distance aboard Spade for 88.60 points to bring the Stampede within .25 points in the bottom of the first. Rogério Venâncio (Paranaita, Brazil) rocketed Nashville to the lead by dancing with Humdinger for 88.85 points, putting the Stampede 88.60 points ahead of the Rattlers in the bottom of the third. Yet it was Riquelmi Silva’s (Bom Jesus do Araguaia) career-best 91.95-point game-clinching ride in the bottom of the sixth that punched Nashville’s ticket to the Championship game. The Brazilian’s last-second effort represented his sixth walk-off conversion of the season as the Stampede sent the Rattlers into the offseason.

Team Champions

Nashville became the league’s fifth all-time PBR Teams Champions, stamping the PBR record books to join the league’s first four winners:

2025: Carolina Cowboys 
2024: Austin Gamblers 
2023: Texas Rattlers 
2022: Nashville Stampede 

MVP’s

Arizona’s Eduardo Aparecido was crowned the 2026 PBR Teams Championship MVP to join the following riders as postseason-topping performers: 

2025: Clay Guiton, Carolina Cowboys
2024: John Crimber, Florida Freedom
2023: João Ricardo Vieira, Texas Rattlers
2022: Kaique Pacheco, Nashville Stampede

“It was definately a wild weekend of bullriding. This just proves that there is always a second chance at the Championship regardless of the season record. I am glad Cowboy Lifestyle Network was there to witness it.”

Patrick O’Donnell
CEO & Founder of Cowboy Lifestyle Network

Game 9 – Las Vegas, Nevada — Nov. 8, 2026

Team                                      1                        2                      3                    4                 5   6                              

Arizona Ridge Riders               89.35                 89.55                 0                    89.90               89.85               90.05        448.70

Austin Gamblers                      86.85                 91.75                 0                    87.20               0                       0                265.80

Arizona Ridge Riders 5-for-6 | 448.70 pts

Everton Natan da Silva 89.35 (Velvet Revolver); Eduardo Aparecido 89.55 (Bowser); Wingson Henrique da Silva BO Bullistic (6.30); Elizmar Jeremias 89.90 (Smack Ya); Eric Novoa 89.85 (Heavy Load); Vitor Manoel Dias 90.05 (Tankums)

Austin Gamblers 3-for-6 | 265.80 pts

Jose Vitor Leme 86.85 (What a Day); Dalton Kasel 91.75 (Show Me The Money); Kaique Pacheco BO Boomtown (2.81); Sage Steele Kimzey 87.20 (Simon Says); Callum Miller BO Benjamin (4.55); Dener Barbosa BO I’m a Hostage (2.53)

Game 10 – Las Vegas, Nevada — Nov. 8, 2026

Team                        1                2        3        4               5          6                                      

Texas Rattlers                  88.85           0             0                0                 0/87.05/90.30(RR)     0
179.15

Nashville Stampede        88.60           0             88.85          0                 0                                91.95        
269.40

Texas Rattlers 2-for-6 | 179.15 pts

Daniel Keeping 88.85 (Sucker Pop); Lucas Divino BO The Kraken (7.31); Qynn Andersen Bo Cramer (3.38); João Ricardo Vieira BO Rhino USA Mouse Trap (4.44); Josh Frost BO Buck Nasty (1.31), RR taken, 87.05 (Fury), RR taken, 90.30 (Milestone); Brady Fielder BO XIT Knock Out (2.56)

Nashville Stampede 3-for-6 | 269.40 pts

Alan de Souza 88.60 (Spade); Daniel Feitosa BO Tulsa Time (4.72); Rogério Venâncio 88.85 (Humdinger); Gustavo Luiz da Silva BO Scrappy (6.70); Alisson De Souza BO Fire Fight (3.31); Riquelmi Silva 91.95 (Fringe Minority)

Game 11 – Las Vegas, Nevada — Nov. 8, 2026

Team                                     1                     2                     3                  4                  5                    6                 7              

Arizona Ridge Riders             90.55               0                     0                  0                   85.40             92.40          0                268.35

Nashville Stampede               91.30              88.75               0                  87.90            88.50             0                  x                356.45

Arizona Ridge Riders 3-for-7 | 268.35 pts

Everton Natan da Silva 90.55 (Dead Red); Eduardo Aparecido BO Wicked Solo (4.35); Wingson Henrique da Silva BO Iron Skillet (3.29); Elizmar Jeremias BO Good Riddance (5.75); Vitor Manoel Dias 85.40 (Corriente); Cody Jesus 92.40 (Lights Out); Alex Cerqueira BO Fire Zone (3.31)

Nashville Stampede 4-for-6 | 356.45 pts

Alan de Souza 91.30 (Freedom Fighter); Daniel Feitosa 88.75 (Yo Mamma); Rogério Venâncio BO King Tut (4.40); Alisson De Souza 87.90 (Smooth Whiskey); Gustavo Luiz da Silva 88.50 (EmmDee); Damião Soares BO MF Cupcake (2.99).  

No. 2 Austin Gamblers Finish Third, While No. 5 Texas Rattlers End the Season Ranked Fourth

Last Updated on 11/14/2026 by Jodi Erpelding

About the Author:

Jodi Erpelding

Biography:

I grew up on a Midwest farm with dirt under my fingernails and the sound of wind rustling through cornfields. My childhood was all about 4H – raising pigs and horses, learning to bake and sew, and discovering the magic of transforming a garden into jars of summer sunshine. Those years taught me the value of hard work, the thrill of seeing a project through to the end, and the simple joy of creating something beautiful. A country girl with a need for speed and a thirst for adventure. Maybe that's why I love the feeling of wind in my hair – whether I'm cruising down a dusty road on my Harley or tackling a mountain trail on my trusty mountain bike. Some of my earliest memories of rodeo are watching my father compete at small local events. That's also where my love for country music comes in – long car rides listening to 8 tracks. The lyrics and melodies always spoke to my soul. These days, you'll find me cheering on the cowboys and cowgirls at rodeos, two-stepping to my favorite bands, belting out a country tune at a concert or sharing stories and laughter with friends around a bonfire. When I'm not soaking up the country life and getting my boots dirty, I'm a nurse, caring for folks in my community. Follow along for more stories from the heart of rodeo and country life!

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