A national circuit champion will be crowned in the calf roping July 14-18, with the 2026 NFR Open kicking off in Colorado Springs.
The most prestigious rodeo under the PRCA circuit system, the NFR Open powered by RAM will feature some of the best in ProRodeo starting Tuesday, July 14. Two tie-down ropers from each of the PRCA circuits, plus the national champions from Mexico, will take on the Norris Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs over seven performances.
Here’s everything calf roping fans need to know about the 2026 NFR Open.
2026 NFR Open FAQ’s
NFR Open 2026 Payout
The 2026 NFR Open has a purse of $85,300 in the calf roping. Each long round performance and the Finals will pay, the average will not.
Long Rounds Payout (Each of the six long round performances will pay out $7,500):
- 1st: $3,000.00
- 2nd: $2,250.00
- 3rd: $1,500.00
- 4th: $750.00
Finals Payout:
- 1st: $13,00
- 2nd: $10,000
- 3rd: $7,000
- 4th: $3,500
- 5th: $1,500
- 6th: $1,500
- 7th: $1,500
- 8th: $1,500
- 9th: $1,500
NFR Open 2026 calf roping roster
Set 1 (Tuesday and Wednesday)
- Lucas Potter
- Mason Stueve
- Logan Bird
- Dillon Hahnkamp
- Pecos Tatum
- Tate Talkington
- Bradley Hays
- Tom Crouse
- Jt Adamson
Set 2 (Thursday and Friday matinee)
- Ike Fontenot
- Ty Rumford
- Riley Pruitt
- Cody Huber
- Shad Mayfield
- Joel Harris
- Shane Smith
- Brey Yore
- Brushton Minton
Set 3 (Friday night and Saturday matinee)
- Coltin Rauch
- Blane Cox
- Sergio Rivera
- Macon Murphy
- Chase Webster
- Myles Kenzy
- Stephen Wallis
- Chizm KuyKendall
- Haven Meged
NFR Open format
All 27 qualifiers from 13 circuits plus Mexico are split into three sets and will compete in two back-to-back rounds with nine calf ropers in each performance. The top three in the average in each set will advance to the clean-slate finals, featuring nine competitors. The finals determines the national champion.
If there is a tie for first in the finals, the tiebreaker will go to the contestant with the most money won from the long rounds. If still tied, the tiebreaker goes to the contestant with the fastest time in the average coming into the finals. If still tied, then go to the fastest time in any round will win.
NFR Open 2026 schedule
- Tuesday, July 14, 7:30 p.m. — Go-Round 1 (Set 1)
- Wednesday, July 15, 7:30 p.m. — Go-Round 2 (Set 1)
- Thursday, July 16, 7:30 p.m. — Go-Round 1 (Set 2)
- Friday, July 17, 12:30 p.m. — Go-Round 2 (Set 2)
- Friday, July 17, 7:30 p.m. — Go-Round 1 (Set 3)
- Saturday, July 18, 12:30 p.m. — Go-Round 2 (Set 3)
- Saturday, July 18, 7:30 p.m. — Top 9 Finals
Who was the 2025 NFR Open calf roping winner?
Riley Pruitt was the 2025 NFR Open calf roping champion, picking up $15,250 July 12, 2025. Pruitt turned in a time of 8.6 seconds to win the title, helping him qualify for his third NFR appearance at sixth in the world standings.
Playoff Series implications
While the NFR Open will not count toward the 2026 Playoff Series standings, the winners of the NFR Open will automatically qualify to the 2026 NFR Playoff Series Finale in Puyallup, Washington, in September.