World Cup Series Format
World Cup Series
Direct Link to this page
The UFO World Cup Series is a globe spanning event series to determine the best frisbee dog team on planet earth. The Series culminates each year with the World Cup Finals.
The World Cup Championship is awarded to the winner of the World Cup Final. Teams must qualify for the World Cup Final by earning World Cup points toward their standing in the UFO World Cup Series based on their performance at Major and Local Tournaments.
The World Cup Final is typically a 2 day event, with a final qualification event the day before (The Final Major).
Qualification for the World Cup Final Teams earn World Cup Points by participating in the Open division of UFO Majors and Locals. This division includes Freestyle and T&C. They are awarded World Cup Points based on their ranking, and the type of event. UFO Locals award points on the "Local" scale (seen here), and UFO Majors award points on the "Major" scale (seen here).
A team's total World Cup points are tallied by this method: the top two finishes at Major Tournaments and the top two finishes at Local Tournaments. A maximum of 240 points is possible during the regular season. Teams will only earn World Cup points in the Open Division at all UFO events. Only 1 set of points is awarded at each event.
To compete in the Overall Championship at the World Cup Finals, teams that live on the same continent where the World Cup Final is taking place must earn at least 90 World Cup points to qualify.
For teams that will need to travel from a different continent to compete in the finals, they will have to have 75 World Cup points to play in the final. This includes any points earned at the Final Major on the Friday before the finals.
The UFO World Cup Throw & Catch Champions are determined at the World Cup Finals. Teams qualify for this event by placing in the top 3 in Open Throw & Catch at any UFO Major, Local, or T&C Local.
New for 2026: In 2026, the UFO introduced "UFO Circuits". The top 10 teams in each regional circuit qualify for the World Cup Finals in T&C.
The UFO World Cup Freestyle Champions are determined at the World Cup Finals. Teams qualify for this event by placing in the top 3 in Open Freestyle at any UFO Major.
There are no "roll-downs" of qualifications at UFO Majors.
If a team is already qualified for the World Cup Finals, they are not allowed to compete in the Final Major (the last chance qualifier).
Ties for World Cup Points beyond places 1-3 at Majors and Locals
In the event that 2 or more teams are tied at an event, and the tie is NOT broken by the event host (for example, places, 1,2 or 3), all teams tied at the highest place will be awarded the World Cup Points for that place.
For example, if 2 teams are tied for 10th place at a UFO Major, both teams will receive 55 World Cup points. The next team would be ranked 12th place, and would receive 45 World Cup Points.
Ties in the top 3 should always be broken at the event.
For Freestyle qualifications (UFO Majors only), the top 3 teams qualify for the World Cup Finals. If there is a tie that puts more than 3 teams in the top 3 spots before tie-breakers are applied, then all of those teams qualify for the finals. Tie-breakers will determine the finish and awards for the event, but the qualification spots will got to all teams. Example: 2 teams are tied with the same score for 3rd place. So in addition to the 1st and 2nd place teams qualifying for the finals, BOTH teams in 3rd place will qualify. The event host will break the tie for the final standings and awards, which will make one team the "official" 3rd place, and the other team will become 4th place. But because they have the same score as 3rd, they still qualify for the World Cup Finals.
This is the same for Throw & Catch qualifications but this applies to Majors, Locals and T&C Locals as well. The top 3 teams qualify for the World Cup Finals. If there is a tie that puts more than 3 teams in the top 3 spots before tie-breakers are applied, then all of those teams qualify for the finals. Tie-breakers will determine the finish and awards for the event, but the qualification spots will got to all teams. Example: 5 teams are tied with the same score for 3rd place. So in addition to the 1st and 2nd place teams qualifying for the finals, all 5 teams in 3rd place will ALSO qualify. The event host will break the tie to determine the official 3rd place at the event, and the remaining teams will become 4th place.( the event host may, at their discretion, break the remaining ties as far as necessary, if awards go deeper than 3rd place.) Because all 4 of those teams have the same score as the "official" 3rd place team, they still qualify.
The World Cup Championship is awarded to the winner of the World Cup Final. Teams must qualify for the World Cup Final by earning World Cup points toward their standing in the UFO World Cup Series based on their performance at Major and Local Tournaments.
The World Cup Final is typically a 2 day event, with a final qualification event the day before (The Final Major).
Qualification for the World Cup Final Teams earn World Cup Points by participating in the Open division of UFO Majors and Locals. This division includes Freestyle and T&C. They are awarded World Cup Points based on their ranking, and the type of event. UFO Locals award points on the "Local" scale (seen here), and UFO Majors award points on the "Major" scale (seen here).
A team's total World Cup points are tallied by this method: the top two finishes at Major Tournaments and the top two finishes at Local Tournaments. A maximum of 240 points is possible during the regular season. Teams will only earn World Cup points in the Open Division at all UFO events. Only 1 set of points is awarded at each event.
To compete in the Overall Championship at the World Cup Finals, teams that live on the same continent where the World Cup Final is taking place must earn at least 90 World Cup points to qualify.
For teams that will need to travel from a different continent to compete in the finals, they will have to have 75 World Cup points to play in the final. This includes any points earned at the Final Major on the Friday before the finals.
The UFO World Cup Throw & Catch Champions are determined at the World Cup Finals. Teams qualify for this event by placing in the top 3 in Open Throw & Catch at any UFO Major, Local, or T&C Local.
New for 2026: In 2026, the UFO introduced "UFO Circuits". The top 10 teams in each regional circuit qualify for the World Cup Finals in T&C.
The UFO World Cup Freestyle Champions are determined at the World Cup Finals. Teams qualify for this event by placing in the top 3 in Open Freestyle at any UFO Major.
There are no "roll-downs" of qualifications at UFO Majors.
If a team is already qualified for the World Cup Finals, they are not allowed to compete in the Final Major (the last chance qualifier).
Ties for World Cup Points beyond places 1-3 at Majors and Locals
In the event that 2 or more teams are tied at an event, and the tie is NOT broken by the event host (for example, places, 1,2 or 3), all teams tied at the highest place will be awarded the World Cup Points for that place.
For example, if 2 teams are tied for 10th place at a UFO Major, both teams will receive 55 World Cup points. The next team would be ranked 12th place, and would receive 45 World Cup Points.
Ties in the top 3 should always be broken at the event.
For Freestyle qualifications (UFO Majors only), the top 3 teams qualify for the World Cup Finals. If there is a tie that puts more than 3 teams in the top 3 spots before tie-breakers are applied, then all of those teams qualify for the finals. Tie-breakers will determine the finish and awards for the event, but the qualification spots will got to all teams. Example: 2 teams are tied with the same score for 3rd place. So in addition to the 1st and 2nd place teams qualifying for the finals, BOTH teams in 3rd place will qualify. The event host will break the tie for the final standings and awards, which will make one team the "official" 3rd place, and the other team will become 4th place. But because they have the same score as 3rd, they still qualify for the World Cup Finals.
This is the same for Throw & Catch qualifications but this applies to Majors, Locals and T&C Locals as well. The top 3 teams qualify for the World Cup Finals. If there is a tie that puts more than 3 teams in the top 3 spots before tie-breakers are applied, then all of those teams qualify for the finals. Tie-breakers will determine the finish and awards for the event, but the qualification spots will got to all teams. Example: 5 teams are tied with the same score for 3rd place. So in addition to the 1st and 2nd place teams qualifying for the finals, all 5 teams in 3rd place will ALSO qualify. The event host will break the tie to determine the official 3rd place at the event, and the remaining teams will become 4th place.( the event host may, at their discretion, break the remaining ties as far as necessary, if awards go deeper than 3rd place.) Because all 4 of those teams have the same score as the "official" 3rd place team, they still qualify.
Small Dog World Cup Championship
The UFO Small Dog World Cup Championship is a 1 event, winner-take-all championship. It is open to teams with dogs that are considered small dogs by the UFO Small Dog Eligibility Criteria.
There are currently no qualifiers. The Small Dog World Cup Championship will be held with the continental Cup championship opposite the current World Cup Final. For example, if the World Cup Final is being held in the USA, then the Small Dog World Cup Championship will be held in conjunction with the European Cup Final.
European Cup Championship
The UFO European Cup is an competition series to determine the best frisbee dog team in Europe.
Competitors earn points toward their standing in the UFO European Cup Series based on their performance at European Major and Local Tournaments. Teams must earn 65 World Cup points in European UFO Events to qualify for the European Cup Final.
The EC Final is a winner-take-all event, and the winners of this event are declared the European Cup Champions.
North American Cup Championship
The UFO North American Cup (NAC)) is an competition series to determine the best frisbee dog team in North America.
Competitors earn points toward their standing in the UFO North American Cup Series based on their performance at North American Major and Local Tournaments.
The NAC Final is the final Major in the NAC series. When the event is complete, World Cup Points are assigned, and the NAC Standings updated. The team with the highest point total is declared the North American Cup Champions.
In the event that 2 or more teams are tied for the top spot in the NAC series, the finish at the NAC Final will be the tie-breaking criteria to determine an overall winner.
The UFO Small Dog World Cup Championship is a 1 event, winner-take-all championship. It is open to teams with dogs that are considered small dogs by the UFO Small Dog Eligibility Criteria.
There are currently no qualifiers. The Small Dog World Cup Championship will be held with the continental Cup championship opposite the current World Cup Final. For example, if the World Cup Final is being held in the USA, then the Small Dog World Cup Championship will be held in conjunction with the European Cup Final.
European Cup Championship
The UFO European Cup is an competition series to determine the best frisbee dog team in Europe.
Competitors earn points toward their standing in the UFO European Cup Series based on their performance at European Major and Local Tournaments. Teams must earn 65 World Cup points in European UFO Events to qualify for the European Cup Final.
The EC Final is a winner-take-all event, and the winners of this event are declared the European Cup Champions.
North American Cup Championship
The UFO North American Cup (NAC)) is an competition series to determine the best frisbee dog team in North America.
Competitors earn points toward their standing in the UFO North American Cup Series based on their performance at North American Major and Local Tournaments.
The NAC Final is the final Major in the NAC series. When the event is complete, World Cup Points are assigned, and the NAC Standings updated. The team with the highest point total is declared the North American Cup Champions.
In the event that 2 or more teams are tied for the top spot in the NAC series, the finish at the NAC Final will be the tie-breaking criteria to determine an overall winner.