The 2026 Cheyenne Frontier Days rolls into Frontier Park July 17–26 looking nothing like the rodeo competitors and calf roping fans have seen for for generations. Gone is the open slack that used to decide the field. Instead The Daddy now takes 78 tie-down ropers and whittles them down to 12 finalists across 10 performances.

Here’s everything calf roping fans need to know about calf roping at the 2026 Daddy of ’em All.

Why This Year Looks Different

Tie-down roping has always been part of Cheyenne, but 2026 is the first year the event moves through a true qualifying-to-Wild-Card-to-semis-to-finals bracket system instead of the traditional go-round-and-slack setup. The field is capped at 78 ropers—no more open entry—and every man knows exactly which performance he’s roping in before he ever backs into the box. There will be 12 calf ropers competing in the finals on Sunday, July 26.

How They Qualified

Cheyenne accepted 78 tie-down ropers this year, who qualified one of three ways:

• 61 ropers from the 2026 PRCA world standings
• 8 ropers from the circuit standings
• 9 ropers as the event winners from the nine designated qualifying rodeos

To lock in a qualifying spot, a roper had to win the tie-down roping at one of the nine designated rodeos and enter Cheyenne online during the designated entry period. If a qualifying-rodeo winner was already accepted on top money or top circuit, the spot rolled to the next-highest-placed roper at that rodeo who entered Cheyenne. The nine qualifying rodeos were:

• Lufkin, Texas (April 22–25)
• Lakeside, California (April 23–26)
• Kansas City, Missouri (April 30–May 1)
• Franklin, Tennessee (May 14–16)
• Grand Junction, Colorado (May 22–24)
• Window Rock, Arizona (May 28–30)
• Elizabeth, Colorado (June 5–7)
• Coleman, Texas (June 10–13)
• Union, Oregon (June 12–14)

Qualifying Performances

The 78 calf ropers are split evenly across the first six performances, 13 per performance, July 17–22 at 12:45 p.m. daily. It’s one calf, one loop, off a 30-foot score behind a hand-pulled barrier.

The top five times from each of the six qualifying performances advance straight to the Semi-Finals—30 ropers in all. If a tie for fifth pushes more than five through, the tiebreaker goes to the roper with the higher ranking based on 2026 money won as of seven days before entries closed.

Wild Card Rounds

The eight ropers who don’t advance out of each qualifying performance get one more shot through a Wild Card slack. There are two:

• Monday, July 20 at 7:00 a.m. — ropers from the first three performances
• Thursday, July 23 at 7:00 a.m. — ropers from the 4th, 5th and 6th performances

The top three from each Wild Card slack punch a ticket to the Semi-Finals. Those six Wild Card qualifiers join the 30 who already advanced to complete a 36-man Semi-Final field, 12 per performance.

Semi-Finals

The 36 semifinalists rope across three Semi-Final performances of 12—the 7th, 8th and 9th perfs, July 23, 24 and 25 at 12:45 p.m. Placement works like this:

• Ropers advancing from the July 17 & 18 qualifiers land in the July 25 Semi-Final
• Ropers from the July 19 & 20 qualifiers land in the July 24 Semi-Final
• Ropers from the July 21 & 22 qualifiers land in the July 23 Semi-Final
• First-place Wild Card ropers go to the July 25 Semi-Final, second place to July 24, third place to July 23

In the Semi-Finals the run order is set by money won at Cheyenne—lowest earner first, highest last. The top four times from each Semi-Final performance advance to the Finals, for a 12-man field that will not exceed 12. If a tie sends more than four out of a Semi-Final, it breaks first by fastest time in that Qualifying Performance, then by 2026 PRCA world standings (as of June 11, 2026). Ropers can trade Semi-Final performances through the rodeo secretary up to 5 p.m. the day before the 7th performance.

Finals

The final round of Cheyenne will take place Sunday, July 26 at 12:45 p.m. The finals run order follows money won at Cheyenne, with the lowest earner roping first and the highest earner roping last.

If the Finals end in a tie for first, the money for the tied places is split evenly. The event championship—and the awards that come with it, including saddle and buckle—goes to the tied roper who’s won the most money at Cheyenne. If it’s still a tie, it breaks by fastest time in the Semi-Finals, and if still tied, by fastest time in the qualifying performances.

2026 Cheyenne Calf Roping Payout

Tie-down roping at Cheyenne carries $100,000 in added money. With entry fees folded in, the total payout climbs to $113,500, spread across the qualifying performances, Wild Card rounds, Semi-Finals and Finals.

Qualifying Performances and Wild Card Rounds (each pays):

• 1st: $2,000
• 2nd: $1,500
• 3rd: $1,000
• 4th: $500
• 5th: $250

Semi-Finals (each pays):

• 1st: $3,000
• 2nd: $2,500
• 3rd: $2,000
• 4th: $1,500
• 5th: $1,000
• 6th: $500

Finals:

• 1st: $9,200
• 2nd: $8,000
• 3rd: $6,800
• 4th: $5,600
• 5th: $4,400
• 6th: $3,200
• 7th: $2,000
• 8th: $800

2026 Cheyenne Schedule

Wild Card Rounds

Cheyenne Calf Roping Draw

Qualifier Performance 1 | July 17

• Cole Clemons
• Dylan Hancock
• Haven Meged
• Zachary Jongbloed
• Trenton Smith
• Max Mathis
• Chase Webster
• Macon Murphy
• Pecos Tatum
• Boedy Lambert
• Trey Stembridge
• Jarvis Demery
• Jontavian Douch

Qualifier Performance 2 | July 18

• Brayden Roe
• Brey Yore
• Britton Bedke
• Austin Hurlburt
• Avery Matheson
• Roy Lee
• Samuel Lewis
• Cash Hooper
• Jett Barrett
• Jase Staudt
• Cole Robinson
• John McCuistion
• Bowman Pickett

Qualifier Performance 3 | July 19

• Wyatt Williams
• Kaleb Bedsole
• Travis Staley
• Seth Hall
• Quint Bell
• Tyler Boxleitner
• Tate Talkington
• Dalton Porch
• Trevor Thiel
• Spencer Street
• Bryce Derrer
• Kyle Dickens
• Bodie Mattson

Qualifier Performance 4 | July 20

• Ace Reese
• Kyan Wilhite
• Brushton Minton
• Riley Webb
• Keith Miller
• Stran Dunham
• Chet Weitz
• Brodey Clemons
• Shane Hanchey
• Joel Harris
• Tom Simpson
• Marcos Costa
• Ty Harris

Qualifier Performance 5 | July 21

• James Collins
• Cash Fuesz
• Cody Huber
• King Pickett
• Colt Papy
• Jayden Broussard
• Kyle Lucas
• Cash Enderli
• Logan Bird
• Dean Holyan
• Cole Eiguren
• Riley Pruitt
• Hagen Houck

Qualifier Performance 6 | July 22

• Cutter Carpenter
• Tyler Calhoun
• Tuf Cooper
• Cory Solomon
• Blane Cox
• Adam Gray
• Colton Suther
• Tom Crouse
• Quade Hiatt
• Lucas Potter
• Hayden Ford
• Coltin Rauch
• Kincade Henry