FIFA World Cup fever is sweeping the globe. The equivalent in the wrestling world is the UWW World Championships, which also pit nations from across the planet against one another in a global sporting competition.

Wise and learned wrestling fans and/or readers of last week’s newsletter are aware that the U17 World Championships are one of the best ways to get a glimpse of the future stars of American wrestling.

What better way to follow up Junior Nationals, which features the rising stars in the sport of wrestling competing in nationwide championships, than with the U17 World Championships, which features rising stars from every country across the globe competing in a—you guessed it—world championship!

Another monstrous Junior Nationals has come and gone, and we’re still reckoning with the results. For the third year in a row, entries in the brackets eclipsed the 8,000 mark. All six divisions saw more than 1,000 competitors take the mat in Fargo, North Dakota.

We’ve still got four more tournament finals on the agenda at the US Marine Corps Junior Nationals, but before USA Wrestling crowns new Greco-Roman and girls’ freestyle national champs, we’ve got heaps of boys freestyle results through which to sift.

The biggest USA Wrestling event of the year officially wrapped in Newark, New Jersey last Friday, much to the delight of wrestling fans across the country.

Prepare to lock in, wrestling fans, Final X is finally here! Friday, June 19, Team USA determines its men’s and women’s freestyle squad for the 2026 World Championships.