National Duals Invitational Announces 2026 Automatic Qualifications

OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National Duals Invitational, a groundbreaking $1 million collegiate wrestling event sponsored by Paycom, has announced the teams earning automatic qualification for the 2026 tournament. Featuring top programs from across the country, the tournament will bring elite competition and high-stakes prize money to Tulsa this December.

Automatic entry will be awarded to the top 10 teams in the final NCAA standings and the top four finishes of last year’s National Duals Invitational. Qualified teams must complete their participation agreements by mid-April to secure their spots.

Penn State, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Iowa, Ohio State, Stanford, Michigan, Iowa State, Minnesota and NC State have all received automatic qualifier invitations. Because all four of last year’s National Duals Invitational top finishers also placed in the NCAA Championships’ top 10, only 10 automatic qualification spots will be awarded in 2026.

“The 2025 National Duals Invitational set a new standard for what team-focused wrestling can look like on the big stage,” said Matt Surber, tournament director. “We’re bringing that back in 2026 with a field that reflects the best programs in the country, and we intend to make that weekend in December a can’t-miss event.”

Topping $1,230,000, the 2026 prize purse will represent one of the most significant financial contributions in college wrestling. The top eight teams will earn payouts, with the winning squad walking away with $250,000 — a $50,000 increase over the $200,000 Ohio State earned as inaugural champions in 2025. The second- and third-place teams will each earn $175,000, while fourth and fifth place will both secure $100,000. Sixth through eighth place payouts will be $40,000, $25,000 and $20,000, respectively. All participating teams will receive $20,000 for attending and will have the opportunity to compete for $50,000 in team takedown bonuses.

The 2026 event will take place Dec. 12-13 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Fans can follow every match leading up to the event exclusively on FloWrestling.

For updates and more information, visit nationaldualsinvitational.com.

About the National Duals Invitational

The National Duals Invitational is a premier collegiate wrestling event featuring 16 of the top NCAA Division I teams competing for a total purse of more than $1 million. Hosted at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Invitational offers substantial payouts to participating programs, including $250,000 to the championship team. The National Duals Invitational is sponsored by Paycom.