Mark Your Calendars: SFC Unveils its 2026 Competition Schedule

Sport Fishing Championship (SFC) has just released its 2026 schedule, featuring a premier lineup of offshore tournaments across the country. Celebrating its fifth year of existence, SFC poised to begin year two of its professional angling club format, highlighting world-class competitors chasing a spot to compete in the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs.

Two Divisions, One Championship Dream.

If anyoe is new to the series, SFC clubs compete between two divisions, Atlantic and Gulf. Each tournament on the calendar serves as a crucial step towards earning a berth in the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs including each division’s championship stop to end the regular season. 

The top two clubs from each division, the champion and runner-up, will stamp their passport for the Baja. In 2025, those four clubs were Lights Out Boston and New Jersey Sea Birds from the Atlantic; Third Coast Renegades and Texas Lone Stars from the Gulf. 

When the sun set on the final day of competition, it was Texas Lone Stars Angling Club, led by Captain Spencer Johnson, that took home the title. 

2026 SFC Competitive Tournament Schedule

Key West Classic (Atlantic & Gulf Opener)
Key West, FL
April 17–19

The season begins in iconic fashion with both divisions launching their campaigns in the legendary waters of Key West. Nearly $400K in prize money is up for grabs, with points being awarded for the top placements in each division, with a bonus check cut to the overall winner. 

Primarily a sailfish tournament, the action should look similar to last year’s Atlantic Opener in Fort Lauderdale, which saw South Carolina Outcast Angling Club emerge victorious. 

Walker’s Cay Open (Atlantic)
Walker’s Cay, Bahamas
May 15–17

The Atlantic clubs head to one of the most storied billfishing destinations in the world at the northernmost point of the Abacos. Walker’s Cay and its iconic gantry await the next winner to “Capture The Flag.” Last year, it was Captain Blaine Birch and the New Jersey Sea Birds Angling club who climbed the gantry. Will they repeat as champions?

Charleston Billfish Cup (Atlantic)
Charleston, SC
May 29–31

Southern charm meets fierce competition as the Atlantic Division continues its early-season run. SFC honors the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America in Charleston, home to Patriots’ Point and the USS Yorktown, an Essex-Class Aircraft Carrier built near the end of World War II. The museum ship proudly stands guard as the clubs make their way out of the harbor in search of blue and white marlin. Last year, it was Capt. JC Cleare and East Coast Remix Angling Club that left Charleston with their heads held high, celebrating on Shem Creek. 

Charleston is home to South Carolina Outcast Angling Club, so expect a major show of support for Capt. Stuart Lackey and his crew on the docks. 

Gulfport Mississippi Invitational (Gulf)
Gulfport, MS
June 12–14

The Gulf Division takes center stage in Mississippi for a critical summer tournament stop. This marks the second time SFC competes in Gulfport, with Third Coast Renegades Angling Club taking the win last year. That roster, led by Capt. Adam McGugin and Angler Adam Davidson now represent Mississippi Blues Angling Club in 2026. Gulfport happens to be the Blues’ home event.

Bay Point Billfish Open (Gulf)
Panama City Beach, FL
June 25–27

Florida’s Emerald Coast hosts another pivotal Gulf Division matchup in one of the largest tournaments of the season. This is the second most easterly tournament HQ of the Gulf division schedule, but marks the furthest eastward of the traditional Gulf Blue Marlin tournaments on the SFC calendar. Action continues all the way offshore to the scales well after the sun goes down in the backyard of the Gulf Coast Cowboys Angling Club.

Cape Cod Bluewater Classic (Atlantic)
Falmouth, MA
July 17–19

The Atlantic Division heads north for big water, big fish, and big points on the line. Organized by Damon Sacco of the Oak Bluffs Bluewater Classic, Lights Out Boston Angling Club’s home waters are known for monstrous bluefin tunas. In 2025, it was home to the hottest billfish bite the northeast has seen in more than a decade, with the hometown Lights Out squad racking up an SFC record 47 releases. 

Rhode Island Offshore Invitational (Atlantic)
Newport, RI
July 31–August 2

New for 2026, the Rhode Island Breakers Angling Club welcomes the SFC to Newport for the first time as part of their inaugural home event. The Atlantic Division will be familiar with the boundary waters, which greatly overlap with their previous stop in Cape Cod. Tension will be high with this event marking the penultimate stop before the Atlantic Division Championship. Will one club be a mathematical lock for a Zane Grey Championship Playoff berth when it’s all said and done, or will it come down the wire?

Texas Billfish Tournament (Gulf)
Port Aransas, TX
August 14–16

The 2025 SFC Champion Texas Lone Stars Angling Club welcomes the rest of the Gulf Division into the heart of Texas with their hometown tournament. Port A is a haven for inshore fishing and is a direct launching point for offshore action. Stationary oil rigs are approximately 100 miles from the inlet, with other floating rigs, known to be visited by blue marlin a little further away. 

The question of whether a competition boundary is put in place, as is customary in most Texas tournaments, is yet to be determined. That provision will dictate the primary target species for angling clubs to focus on in order to come away with the win. 

The MidAtlantic (Atlantic Division Championship)
Ocean City, MD
August 21–23

The Atlantic Division Championship marks the final regular-season event, along with awarding two berths to the Zane Grey Championship Playoff. The divisional champion and runner-up will have a two-week head start on making their plans for Cabo San Lucas. Held in Ocean City, Maryland, Sunset Marina is widely recognized as one of the most prestigious venues in sportfishing, with Teasers Bar being the epicenter of activity from team strategy to camaraderie. 

Hurricane Hole Louisiana Invitational (Gulf)
Grand Isle, LA
August 28–30

The Gulf Division’s penultimate season stop takes place in the heart of the Bayou, where SFC held its first-ever tournament five years ago. The Hurricane Hole Louisiana Open has been a mainstay on the SFC calendar since inception, and remains one of the most highly anticipated tournaments of the season. From its unique charm as the most colorful destination on Grand Isle, to the marching band opening parade and jazz trumpet national anthem, crawfish and helicopters, Hurricane Hole pulls out all the stops to put on a world-class event. 

Mobile Big Game Fishing Club Labor Day Invitational (Gulf Division Championship)
Orange Beach, AL
September 4–6

The Gulf Division Championship closes out the regular season in the Mecca of Gulf sportfishing, Orange Beach, Alabama. The Mobile Big Game Fishing Club and Orange Beach Marina is among some of the most recognizable docks in the country. Many regions' top teams, including several SFC competitors, have their home slip in Orange Beach. 

Zane Grey Championship Playoffs
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
October 18–19

The best clubs from both divisions will converge in Cabo for the ultimate battle: the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs. Cabo’s unique fishery adds two billfish species to the scoresheet: striped marlin and black marlin. The famed finger banks to the north consistently produce high numbers of striped marlin, and there is always a chance for a major scoring blue or black to be lurking the depths. Last year, a late blue marlin release by The Texas Lone Stars was the determining factor in securing the league title. After the sun sets, the champagne flows from the rooftop of Corazon Cabo Resort & Spa, the host resort for the third consecutive year. 

Exhibition Schedule to Come

This schedule reflects the official competitive season only. Additional announcements regarding exhibition tournaments, special events, and league experiences will be released at a later date.

Stay tuned…the road to Cabo begins soon.