Team ropers are headed to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for the 2026 Governor’s Cup Sept. 25-27, where the $166,667-per-side purse has the chance to shake up the ProRodeo world standings and bubble race.
The top eight teams in the PRCA’s ProRodeo Playoff Series standings as of Sept. 21 qualify to rope in Sioux Falls, joined by the top four teams from the Puyallup, Washington, Cinch Playoffs—Puyallup co-champions Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira and James Arviso/Levi Lord, plus Luke Brown/Hunter Koch and Garrett Tonozzi/Trey Yates. Tonozzi and Yates earned their way into Puyallup as the NFR Open reserve champions, then punched their Sioux Falls ticket by finishing fourth in the Puyallup final.
The field in Sioux Falls this year is, as expected, a mix of teams inside the top 15 of the world standings and guys fighting for their NFR lives on the bubble. World No. 1s Driggers and Nogueira are in, while the No. 2 team in the world, Korbin Rice/Cooper Freeman, did not qualify.
Sioux Falls Rundown
Who Qualified for Sioux Falls in the Team Roping?
- Jake Smith / Douglas Rich
- Dawson Graham / Dillon Graham
- Cory Kidd V / Carson Johnson
- Lightning Aguilera / Ross Ashford
- Cody Snow / Lane Mitchell
- Andrew Ward / Jake Long
- Tyler Tryan / Nicky Northcott
- Tanner Tomlinson / Coleby Payne
- Garrett Tonozzi / Trey Yates
- Luke Brown / Hunter Koch
- James Arviso / Levi Lord
- Kaleb Driggers / Junior Nogueira
Qualifying Teams’ World Standings
World standings as of Sept. 23, 2026.
| Header | Earnings | World Standings | Heeler | Earnings | World Standings |
| Jake Smith | $134,867.38 | 7 | Douglas Rich | $121,983.48 | 9 |
| Dawson Graham | $107,277.89 | 15 | Dillon Graham | $114,572.89 | 15 |
| Cory Kidd V | $100,208.65 | 20 | Carson Johnson | $97,419.99 | 25 |
| Lightning Aguilera | $141,689.48 | 5 | Ross Ashford | $124,287.03 | 8 |
| Cody Snow | $127,831.17 | 8 | Lane Mitchell | $123,877.75 | 7 |
| Andrew Ward | $121,515.85 | 11 | Jake Long | $121,515.85 | 12 |
| Tyler Tryan | $154,980.62 | 3 | Nicky Northcott | $156,331.62 | 3 |
| Tanner Tomlinson | $146,459.73 | 4 | Coleby Payne | $136,724.38 | 5 |
| Garrett Tonozzi | — | — | Trey Yates | $123,488.75 | 9 |
| Luke Brown | $97,726.56 | 21 | Hunter Koch | $88,024.56 | 26 |
| James Arviso | $140,165.04 | 6 | Levi Lord | $141,349.86 | 4 |
| Kaleb Driggers | $206,552.88 | 1 | Junior Nunes Nogueira | $206,552.85 | 1 |
Governor’s Cup Team Roping Draw
Round 1 (Friday, Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m.)
| Position | Team |
| 1 | Jake Smith / Douglas Rich |
| 2 | Dawson Graham / Dillon Graham |
| 3 | Cory Kidd V / Carson Johnson |
| 4 | Lightning Aguilera / Ross Ashford |
| 5 | Cody Snow / Lane Mitchell |
| 6 | Andrew Ward / Jake Long |
| 7 | Tyler Tryan / Nicky Northcott |
| 8 | Tanner Tomlinson / Coleby Payne |
| 9 | Garrett Tonozzi / Trey Yates |
| 10 | Luke Brown / Hunter Koch |
| 11 | James Arviso / Levi Lord |
| 12 | Kaleb Driggers / Junior Nogueira |
Round 2 (Saturday, Sept. 26, 7:30 p.m.)
| Position | Team |
| 1 | Luke Brown / Hunter Koch |
| 2 | Garrett Tonozzi / Trey Yates |
| 3 | Kaleb Driggers / Junior Nogueira |
| 4 | Cory Kidd V / Carson Johnson |
| 5 | James Arviso / Levi Lord |
| 6 | Tyler Tryan / Nicky Northcott |
| 7 | Jake Smith / Douglas Rich |
| 8 | Tanner Tomlinson / Coleby Payne |
| 9 | Lightning Aguilera / Ross Ashford |
| 10 | Cody Snow / Lane Mitchell |
| 11 | Andrew Ward / Jake Long |
| 12 | Dawson Graham / Dillon Graham |
The Sioux Falls Format
The 12 qualifying teams will compete across two rounds (Sept. 25-26) for a position in the final eight. The eight teams who advance will be based on the average. From the eight-team Semifinals on Sunday, Sept. 27 (2 p.m.), four teams will return to the final shootout, a clean-slate round that same performance, for a chance at the Governor’s Cup’s possible season-changing payday.
How Much Will the Governor’s Cup Pay in the Team Roping?
The Governor’s Cup has a $166,667 purse on each end, meaning a team could win up to $59,066.80 a man.
Long Rounds
| Place | Payout |
| 1st | $12,533.40 per man |
| 2nd | $9,400.05 per man |
| 3rd | $6,266.70 per man |
| 4th | $3,133.35 per man |
Semifinals
1st-4th do not receive checks for qualifying to the Finals, but 5th-8th will still receive checks for making it to the semifinals.
| Place | Payout |
| 5th | $4,500 per man |
| 6th | $4,500 per man |
| 7th | $4,500 per man |
| 8th | $4,500 per man |
Finals
| Place | Payout |
| 1st | $34,000 per man |
| 2nd | $26,000 per man |
| 3rd | $17,000 per man |
| 4th | $9,000 per man |