When it comes to the PBA World Championship, the cream always rises to the top. The most talented bowlers in the world come to compete in four different tournaments on different oil patterns with scores adding up to count towards the World Championship qualifying. Make the top 40, and you've earned yourself another 10 games of qualifying before another cut to the top 16 for match play.
After 66 games, nine players are still alive in the stepladder: EJ Tackett, Chris Via, Bill O'Neill, Kris Prather, Jason Belmonte, Brandon Bonta, Zach Wilkins, Jason Sterner and Darren Tang.
It would be a long climb up the ladder for Tang, Sterner, Wilkins, Bonta or Belmonte but not impossible. Waiting at the top of the ladder is EJ Tackett, who is looking to make history by winning a fourth consecutive World Championship.
Now a month after qualifying ended, they'll relocate from Bowlero Brooklyn Park in Minnesota to Thunderbowl in Michigan for the big finale.
All season long, I analyze every win, spread, total and futures bet available on the BetRivers Sportsbook app and identify my favorite bets.
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2026 PBA World Championship Matchups
Darren Tang -9.5 (+100) vs. Jason Sterner
If you base your pick here on match play records, then Sterner would be the easy choice, considering he went 10-6, while Tang was 5-11. However, a closer look at the numbers, shows that luck was on Sterner's side. Despite only topping 220 in six of 16 match play games, he came away with 10 wins. Meanwhile, Tang topped 220 in seven games and only managed to pull off five wins.
Now they have to adjust to a new setting for this match. I have to give the edge to the player who has made the better adjustments all season. After a slow start, Tang has been one of the hottest players on Tour, collecting top 15 finishes in six of the past nine tournaments (including this World Championship). For Sterner, this is just his second top 15 finish all season.
Darren Tang vs. Jason Sterner under 440.5 total score (-117)
With the 66 games of qualifying tallied, Tang and Sterner both came out averaging about 220. With the move to Strobl Arena at Thunderbowl, I'm expecting scores to trend down. In recent history, 220s have been very competitive games there. I like the chances of at least one player struggling to top 200, making a 440 total pretty unlikely in this spot.
All odds via BetRivers Sportsbook as of June 9th 10:00 pm ET
2026 PBA World Championship Winner Best Bet
Chris Via (+300)
Via has been knocking on the door all season long with five top five finishes, most recently losing in the Shark Championship and Scorpion Championship brackets despite shooting over 240 in both elimination matches. Now he sits in what has been the most favorable spot in 2026 stepladder finals. In nine events that used the five-player stepladder, the second seed won four times. The top seed has won just twice, while the third, fourth and fifth seeds have won once each. To take the title, Via will have to win two matches, including defeating back-to-back-to-back Player of the Year EJ Tackett, who is the betting favorite (-112) to win a historic fourth consecutive award if he wins this title. As mentioned earlier, he could also make history by becoming the only PBA player to ever win the same tournament four years in a row.
With that said, there is immense pressure on Tackett. Via (+900) is flying under the radar as a Player of the Year candidate. In reality, if the two meet in the final, it could decide who wins the award. A win on Saturday would shoot Via up to second in PBA Tour Points, trailing only Tackett. Since Tackett still needs to win a title to be eligible for the award, that would mean Via would have a major title on his resume along with the most Tour Points of all the bowlers who are eligible to be on the ballot. Alex Horton and Zach Wilkins still would have more titles, but Via would have arguably the best complete body of work with three title events remaining.
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2026 PBA World Championship TV Schedule
All times listed are local (Eastern Time)
Saturday, June 13th
PBA World Championship Semifinals / (LIVE ON CBS SN): 11 a.m.
PBA World Championship Finals / (LIVE ON CBS): 1 p.m.
