National Duals Invitational announces 16-team field for 2026 wrestling event

The National Duals Invitational will return to Tulsa, Oklahoma and the 16-team field was announced Tuesday. The event, which is in its second year, will take place December 12th and 13th at the BOK Center.

Defending National Duals Invitational champion Ohio State will be joined in the field by Arizona State, Arkansas-Little Rock, Iowa State, Minnesota, Missouri, NC State, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Stanford, Virginia Tech and Wyoming. Notably, despite the date change, there will be no Penn State again and schools like Iowa and Nebraska will not attend this coming year.

“Seeing this caliber of programs commit so quickly reinforces what we’re building in Tulsa,” Matt Surber, tournament director, said. “The National Duals Invitational is bringing together some of the most historic programs to compete for significant prize money in the exciting duals format. We expect this tournament to continue elevating the sport of college wrestling.”

National Duals Invitational sets 16-team field for 2026

The prize money is the biggest draw for the invent, which was a landmark invitational last season. Ohio State won the National Duals Invitational, which featured a $1 million prize pool.

“Topping $1,230,000, the 2026 prize purse will represent one of the most significant financial contributions in college wrestling,” the National Duals Invitational release read. “The top eight teams will earn payouts, with the winning squad walking away with $250,000 — a $50,000 increase over the $200,000 Ohio State earned as inaugural champions in 2025.

“The second- and third-place teams will each earn $175,000, while fourth and fifth place will both secure $100,000. Sixth- through eighth-place payouts will be $40,000, $25,000 and $20,000, respectively. All participating teams will receive $20,000 for attending and will have the opportunity to compete for $50,000 in team takedown bonuses.”