The 2026 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament will take place on May 14 and 15 in Louisville, Kentucky. This tournament will feature many of the country’s best wrestlers, with the winners of each weight advancing to Final X. Check out the article below for a full preview, with predictions, for what should be an outstanding tournament in Louisville in the men’s freestyle division.
57 Kilograms
57 kg Entries
- Spencer Lee
- Anthony Knox
- Liam Cronin
- Austin Assad
- Brody Teske
- Elijah Oliver
Spencer Lee is the clear favorite to win this bracket at the World Team Trials. Though he suffered a surprising, last-second loss to Luke Lilledahl at the US Open, Lee steamrolled his way to the finals and is still one of the best in the world at 57kg. Lee pinned Anthony Knox in just 45 seconds in Vegas, and Knox will likely be his finals opponent at the World Team Trials. It’s worth noting that Knox scored the first point against Lee, and Knox got to Lee’s legs before giving up the fall. Still, Knox will have to make huge adjustments to close the gap against Lee.
57 kg Predictions
- Spencer Lee
- Anthony Knox
- Liam Cronin
- Brody Teske
Spencer Lee's pin over Anthony Knox at the 2026 US Open:
61 Kilograms
61 kg Entries
- Ben Davino
- Jax Forrest
- Austin DeSanto
- Aaron Seidel
- Michael McGee
- Nathan Tomasello
The big four of Davino, Forrest, DeSanto, and Seidel make this weight incredibly fun at the World Team Trials. Davino is coming off his runner-up finish at the US Open, where he defeated both Austin DeSanto (3-0) and Jax Forrest (8-4). On top of that, Davino defeated Aaron Seidel (9-0) at the U20 WTT last year. Davino’s results will make him the #1 seed, but should he be considered the favorite to win the bracket?
Davino's win over Forrest at the 2026 US Open:
Though Jax Forrest came up short at the Open, he might be the “betting odds” favorite to win at the World Team Trials. Not only did Forrest defeat Davino in the NCAA finals (5-2), Forrest also won in freestyle at the 2025 US Open (4-0). Beyond that, Forrest is the far more credentialed freestyler as the 2025 world team member, fifth-place finisher at the 2025 Senior World Championships, and 2025 U23 World Champion. If Forrest is wrestling his best in Louisville, it will be hard to pick against him to make Final X.
Forrest's win over Davino at the 2025 US Open:
Aaron Seidel is the dark horse in this bracket, and his performance throughout the NCAA season showed just how dangerous he is. Seidel gave Forrest his toughest match of the year in a wild, 10-9 match. Seidel also looked ultra-impressive, placing third at NCAAs while defeating Marcus Blaze in a controlling 5-0 decision. Though he hasn’t been in the freestyle spotlight over the past few years, he has solid freestyle credentials as a Fargo Champ and 4th place finisher at the U20 WTT. Seidel has made significant improvements over the past year, and it will be great to see where he stacks up at the senior level at 61 kg.
Austin DeSanto is the final wrestler worth mentioning in this bracket. Though he lost to both Davino and Forrest at the US Open, DeSanto is one of the best 61 kg wrestlers in the world and has senior-level victories over 7 world/Olympic medalists - Aman Sehrawat, Tuvshintulga Tumenbileg, Bekzat Almaz Uulu, Shota Phartanadze, Bekhbayar Erdenebat, Joe Colon, and Assylzhan Yessengeldi. DeSanto is dangerous and absolutely capable of taking out anyone in the 61 kg bracket at the World Team Trials.
61 kg Predictions
- Jax Forrest
- Ben Davino
- Austin DeSanto
- Aaron Seidel
70 Kilograms
70 kg Entries
- Zain Retherford
- Caleb Henson
- Alec Pantaleo
- Jordan Williams
- Landon Robideau
- Ed Scott
- Ian Parker
Zain Retherford was the surprise, late entry to the 70 kg field. If Retherford is at his best, he’s the clear favorite to win this bracket and make the world team. Retherford was silver at the world championships in 2022 and then won a world title in 2023 at 70 kg. He then dropped to 65 kg and made the 2024 Olympic team. However, Retherford hasn’t wrestled since the Paris Games. Will he be 100% or will there be some mat rust because of the time off?
Retherford's win over Pantaleo at the 2022 World Team Trials:
The trio of Alec Pantaleo, Caleb Henson, and Landon Robideau will absolutely test Retherford. Pantaleo is the most credentialed and has notable victories over James Green, PJ Duke, Caleb Henson, Amir Yazdani, and Haji Aliyev. It’s also worth mentioning that Pantaleo is 0-2 against Retherford in freestyle, losing 5-2 at the 2022 WTT and 3-2 in 2020 at an NLWC card. Pantaleo also finished 6th at the US Open after losing to Ridge Lovett and forfeiting out because of a cut in his consi-semis match to Melvin Miller. Pantaleo hasn’t won a domestic tournament since the 2022 US Open, and that makes me hesitant to pick him at the Trials.
Caleb Henson redshirted this past year and spent most of his time focusing on freestyle. That resulted in third-place finishes at the Bill Farrell and Zagreb Open and a runner-up finish at the 2026 US Open. Henson has the physicality, athleticism, and offense to beat anyone in this field. Despite that, Henson’s weakness might be his defense. At the US Open, Henson surrendered 14 points to Lovett and at the Bill Farrell, Ed Scott scored 10 points on Henson. If Henson hopes to win in Louisville, he’ll need to be better defensively against the top wrestlers in this bracket.
Landon Robideau is the final wrestler I could see putting together a full tournament in Louisville. Robideau is heading into the World Team Trials with some incredible momentum after winning NCAAs in March and then the U20 US Open a month later. With his wins over PJ Duke and Antrell Taylor, Robideau proved he has the physicality to match wrestlers like Zain Retherford and Caleb Henson. However, I think Robideau’s biggest challenge will be generating enough offense to defeat wrestlers like Retherford, Pantaleo, or Henson.
70 kg Predictions
- Zain Retherford
- Caleb Henson
- Landon Robideau
- Alec Pantaleo
74 Kilograms
74 kg Entries
- David Carr
- PJ Duke
- Joe Sealey
- Cam Amine
- Evan Wick
- Quincy Monday
- Michael Caliendo
- Will Lewan
- Jarrett Jacques
- Jayden James
74 kg is absolutely LOADED at the World Team Trials. If the US Open never happened, David Carr would be the clear favorite in this field. Carr was the 74 kg world teamer last year and ultimately finished in 5th place at Worlds, losing close matches to only Zaurbek Sidakov and Chermen Valiev. However, David Carr did not look like the best version of himself at the US Open, where he finished in 4th place, losing to both Cam Amine and Joe Sealey. Carr will need to wrestle much better at the Louisville tournament if he hopes to get back to Final X this year.
Like Carr, PJ Duke is looking to get back on the world team this year, but this time up at 74 kg after making Team USA at 70 kg last year. Duke will be one of the most interesting wrestlers in the entire tournament to watch, considering he’s moving up in weight and considering we haven’t seen him wrestle since the NCAA Tournament. While it might be a bit presumptuous, if Duke makes the world team at 74 kg this year, there’s a great chance we see him go 165 pounds next year for the Nittany Lions.
Evan Wick is another surprise entry in this field and is dropping down to 74 kg after spending the past five years wrestling up at 79 kg and 86 kg. Wick’s freestyle hitlist includes wins over DJ Hamiti, Vasyl Mykhailov (world medalist), Max Dean, David McFadden, Kennedy Monday, Alex Marinelli, Simon Ruiz, and a host of other notable wrestlers. There’s no doubt that Wick will be the biggest wrestler in the field, and if he’s able to make the cut effectively, he absolutely has the potential to win this bracket.
Jayden James is another new entry into the 74 kg field that we didn’t see in the US Open bracket. James was busy winning the U20 US Open in Vegas, but he shouldn’t be underestimated in this bracket. James won a U17 world title last year and also notably teched future teammate Joe Sealey at the 2025 U20 US Open. Regardless of whether James wins this bracket, we’ll learn a lot about where he’s at right now heading into his freshman year at Penn State. Will James start as a true freshman for the Nittany Lions? Is James an NCAA title contender right now? We’ll likely have some more clarity on those questions after the World Team Trials.
Jayden James' win over Joe Sealey:
Joe Sealey and Cam Amine are two other wrestlers we have to mention after their performance at the US Open. Both Sealey and Amine defeated David Carr and had close losses to US Open Champ James Green. Sealey and Amine also had a battle in the consi-semis, where Sealey came out on top, 5-3. I’d be surprised if either wins this entire tournament, but both are dangerous and obviously capable of defeating anyone in the bracket.
Sealey's win over David Carr:
Cam Amine's win over David Carr:
74 kg Predictions
- PJ Duke
- David Carr
- Jayden James
- Joe Sealey
125 Kilograms
125 kg Entries
- Demetrius Thomas
- Coby Merrill
- Mason Parris
- Hayden Zillmer
- Isaac Trumble
- Tony Cassioppi
- Greg Kerkvliet
- Taye Ghadiali
- Jordan Wood
- Jay Aiello
- Cole Mirasola
- Jimmy Mullen
- Connor Mirasola
- Lucas Stoddard
125 kg is the biggest bracket at the World Team Trials and the one that feels most up for grabs. High school senior and Iowa State commit Coby Merrill shocked everyone when he defeated world medalist and Hodge Trophy winner Mason Parris in Vegas (8-1). Merrill also impressively took out Cole Mirasola with a first-period tech fall but surprisingly lost to Demetrius Thomas in the semis (6-5). In his win over Parris, Merrill used his size and positioning to secure several stepout points, but Merrill was stifled by Thomas’ ability to match his strength. Make no mistake, Merrill will be a nightmare matchup for several wrestlers in the field, but his one-sided offense might make it difficult to navigate a bracket this deep.
Merrill's win over Mason Parris at the 2026 US Open:
For the second year in a row, Demetrius Thomas had a phenomenal US Open and finished as the runner-up. Despite being overlooked by many, Thomas has quietly put together an outstanding hitlist with freestyle wins over Coby Merrill, Hayden Zillmer, Christian Lance, Jordan Wood, Trent Hillger, Sam Schuyler, Lucas Davison, and Konner Doucet. Despite that hitlist, Thomas has never defeated Mason Parris, Greg Kerkvliet, or Anthony Cassioppi. Because of that, I have a hard time seeing Thomas make a run to the finals at the World Team Trials.
Thomas' win over Merrill at the 2026 US Open:
So, who are the wrestlers that I think are skilled enough to win this deep bracket? I think Mason Parris, Isaac Trumble, and Taye Ghadiali are the most complete wrestlers in the field. Despite his loss to Merrill at the US Open, Parris is 3-1 against Merrill over the past 6 months. Parris defeated Merrill in the finals of the Bill Ferrill in November (10-1) and then twice at the Henri Deglane in January, 7-2 and 4-0. Beyond those results, Parris is the most credentialed wrestler in the field and is also 3-1 in his freestyle career against Wyatt Hendrickson, including a 14-3 tech fall in February. If Parris is back to wrestling his best, he’s the man to beat at the Trials.
Isaac Trumble is another dangerous wrestler in this bracket who is well-rounded enough to win this bracket. Trumble is fresh off an undefeated NCAA season that resulted in him winning the heavyweight title this year. Beyond that, Trumble is also a skilled freestyle wrestler, winning a U23 World Title in 2023 and making the Olympic Trials finals in 2024 with notable victories over Kollin Moore, Jay Aiello, and Eric Schultz. Trumble’s added size will make him dangerous at 125 kg, and he has the point-scoring ability that could challenge even Wyatt Hendrickson.
Taye Ghadiali is the dark horse in this bracket. Ghadiali ended his college career highlighted by a Big Ten title and a third-place finish at the NCAA Tournament. Ghadiali’s only loss at NCAAs was against Trumble in a match where Ghadiali was ultra close to scoring but couldn’t get past Trumble’s outstanding defense. Even with that loss, Ghadiali has the size, offense, and athleticism to be dangerous on the international scene at 125 kg.
125 kg Predictions
- Mason Parris
- Isaac Trumble
- Taye Ghadiali
- Coby Merrill