March 3, 2025 Nolan Hughes

The world’s premier bowling event is set to begin its 16th edition with the PBA World Series of Bowling XVI.

The festivities will take place inside the iconic National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. over the next three weeks.

More than 200 players from 19 countries around the globe will be competing for four standard titles and one major championship.

Storylines

The first time the WSOB was held at Reno’s National Bowling Stadium was in 2015. Then, EJ Tackett was a one-time PBA Tour champion and former Rookie of the Year.

He will enter this year’s WSOB XVI as a 25-time PBA Tour champion, six-time major champion and three-time Player of the Year.

Tackett has won multiple titles in each of the past two WSOBs, including the past two PBA World Championships. The only WSOB animal pattern championships Tackett has yet to conquer are the Viper and Chameleon Championships.

Tackett, who owns six WSOB titles, is closing in on Australian star Jason Belmonte’s WSOB-record of eight titles.

Belmonte and Tackett each have won three PBA World Championship titles. They won the last two WSOB major titles held at the National Bowling Stadium as well. Other than those two superstars, only Tom Daugherty and Kris Prather have won the WSOB’s major title since 2016.

 

Matt Russo won last year’s PBA Scorpion Championship, made the PBA Shark Championship finals and led the PBA World Championship. The southpaw has struggled this season, ranking 69th in points through five events, but will look to right the ship in Reno.

Shawn Maldonado won the 2021 PBA Chameleon Championship, marking his first career PBA Tour title. Ryan Ciminelli won the 2015 PBA Viper Championship, which was the last time those oil patterns were used during the WSOB.

Players to Watch

The beauty of the WSOB is the platform it provides for new players from around the globe to prove their bowling prowess. International players have won a combined 21 WSOB titles, including five PBA World Championships.

This year, six countries will have five or more players competing: Canada (8), England (5), Finland (5), Japan (8), Malaysia (6) and Sweden (14).

Finland’s Santtu Tahvanainen won 2022 PBA Rookie of the Year honors and his breakout came in the following year’s WSOB XIV. He made three of four championship rounds and finished top 10 in all four events that year.

Tahvanainen missed last year’s WSOB due to injury, but is back to near-top form after winning the PBA Owen’s Illinois Classic earlier this season.

Japan’s Shota Kawazoe finished runner-up to Tackett in last year’s PBA Shark Championship. He will be one of eight Japanese players in this year’s field.

Jesper Svensson, who won his first title on national television and American soil in the 2015 WSOB, headlines Sweden's 14-player WSOB XVI roster.

Format

This one’s a doozy.

All players will bowl 12 games of qualifying on the 44-foot Scorpion, 38-Viper, 41-foot Chameleon and 47-foot Shark oil patterns.

The top 24 players on each pattern will advance to elimination match play in that respective standard title event. The Round of 24 will be contested on the night of each event’s second round of qualifying, while the Rounds of 16 and 8 will be held on the morning of the event’s championship round.

The PBA World Championship incorporates all 48 games of qualifying across all four patterns, cutting to the top fourth of the WSOB field.

Advancing players will bowl two eight-game advancer rounds on the 43-foot Earl Anthony oil pattern. The top 16 players after those rounds will advance to round-robin match play, which will be held March 20.

The top five players after a whopping 80 total games will advance to the PBA World Championship stepladder finals, airing live Saturday, March 22 at noon Pacific/local time (3 p.m. Eastern) on FOX.

Tickets for all WSOB TV shows are free.

All qualifying and match play rounds will be livestreamed on BowlTV.

Tournament Schedule

National Bowling Stadium | Reno, NV

All times Pacific/local

Monday, March 3
10 a.m. — A-Squad Practice
2 p.m. — B-Squad Practice

Tuesday, March 4
9 a.m. — PBA Scorpion Championship - A-Squad Qualifying Round 1 (six games)
2:30 p.m. — PBA Scorpion Championship - B-Squad Qualifying Round 1 (six games)

Wednesday, March 5
9 a.m. — PBA Scorpion Championship - B-Squad Qualifying Round 2 (six games)
2:30 p.m. — PBA Scorpion Championship - A-Squad Qualifying Round 2 (six games)

Top 24 players advance to elimination match play

7 p.m. — PBA Scorpion Championship - Match Play Round of 24 (best-of-five games)

Thursday, March 6
9 a.m. — PBA Viper Championship - B-Squad Qualifying Round 1 (six games)
2:30 p.m. — PBA Viper Championship - A-Squad Qualifying Round 1 (six games)

Friday, March 7
9 a.m. — PBA Viper Championship - A-Squad Qualifying Round 2 (six games)
2:30 p.m. — PBA Viper Championship - B-Squad Qualifying Round 2 (six games)

Top 24 players advance to elimination match play

7 p.m. — PBA Viper Championship - Match Play Round of 24 (best-of-five games)

Saturday, March 8
9 a.m. — PBA Chameleon Championship - A-Squad Qualifying Round 1 (six games)
2:30 p.m. — PBA Chameleon Championship - B-Squad Qualifying Round 1 (six games)

Sunday, March 9
9 a.m. — PBA Chameleon Championship - B-Squad Qualifying Round 2 (six games)
2:30 p.m. — PBA Chameleon Championship - A-Squad Qualifying Round 2 (six games)

Top 24 players advance to elimination match play

7 p.m. — PBA Chameleon Championship - Match Play Round of 24 (best-of-five games)

Monday, March 10
9 a.m. — PBA Shark Championship - B-Squad Qualifying Round 1 (six games)
2:30 p.m. — PBA Shark Championship - A-Squad Qualifying Round 1 (six games)

Tuesday, March 11
9 a.m. — PBA Shark Championship - A-Squad Qualifying Round 2 (six games)
2:30 p.m. — PBA Shark Championship - B-Squad Qualifying Round 2 (six games)

Top 24 players advance to elimination match play
Top 1:4 of field advance to PBA World Championship advancer rounds

7 p.m. — PBA Shark Championship - Match Play Round of 24 (best-of-five games)

Wednesday, March 12
12 p.m. — PBA World Championship - Practice

Thursday, March 13
10 a.m. — PBA World Championship - Advancer Round 1 (eight games)

Friday, March 14
10 a.m. — PBA World Championship - Advancer Round 2 (eight games)

Top 16 players advance to PBA World Championship round-robin match play

3 p.m. — PBA Jr. National Championships - Meet and Greet
4 p.m. — PBA Jr. National Championships - Practice
6 p.m. — PBA Jr. National Championships - Match Play

Saturday, March 15
9 a.m. — PBA Jr. National Championships - Match Play
12:30 p.m. — PBA Jr. National Championships - Stepladder Finals (MIXED, U18 Boys and U18 Girls)
3 p.m. on FS1 — PBA Mike Aulby Nevada Classic pres. by Pilgrim’s - Finals
7 p.m. — PBA Jr. National Championship - Finals taping
Free Tickets

Sunday, March 16
9 a.m. — PBA Scorpion Championship - Match Play Round of 16 (best-of-five games)
11:30 a.m. — PBA Scorpion Championship - Match Play Round of 8 (best-of-five games)

Four winners and highest-seeded loser in Round of 8 advance to PBA Scorpion Championship Finals

5 p.m. on FS1 — PBA Scorpion Championship - Finals
Free Tickets

Monday, March 17
9 a.m. — PBA Viper Championship - Match Play Round of 16 (best-of-five games)
11:30 a.m. — PBA Viper Championship - Match Play Round of 8 (best-of-five games)

Four winners and highest-seeded loser in Round of 8 advance to PBA Viper Championship Finals

4 p.m. on FS1 — PBA Viper Championship - Finals
Free Tickets

Tuesday, March 18
9 a.m. — PBA Chameleon Championship - Match Play Round of 16 (best-of-five games)
11:30 a.m. — PBA Chameleon Championship - Match Play Round of 8 (best-of-five games)

Four winners and highest-seeded loser in Round of 8 advance to PBA Chameleon Championship stepladder finals

4 p.m. on FS1 — PBA Chameleon Championship - Finals
Free Tickets

Wednesday, March 19
9 a.m. — PBA Shark Championship - Match Play Round of 16 (best-of-five games)
11:30 a.m. — PBA Shark Championship - Match Play Round of 8 (best-of-five games)

Four winners and highest-seeded loser in Round of 8 advance to PBA Shark Championship stepladder finals

4 p.m. on FS1 — PBA Shark Championship - Finals
Free Tickets

Thursday, March 20
10 a.m. — PBA World Championship - Round-Robin Match Play Round 1 (eight games)
5 p.m. — PBA World Championship - Round-Robin Match Play Round 2 (eight games)

Top five players advance to PBA World Championship stepladder finals

Saturday, March 22
12 p.m. on FOX — PBA World Championship Finals
Free Tickets

More information on the PBA World Series of Bowling XVI is available here.