All season long, the 12th and final spot in the DCI World Championship Finals has truly been up for grabs.
With three corps ultimately being separated by half a point in the race for No. 12, it was hanging in the balance all the way to the final buzzer.
“We’ve had the mentality that it’s not over until it’s over,” Blue Knights drum major Kelsey Wolf said.
Ultimately, emerging from the heated race by just 87 thousandths of a point, Blue Knights clinched their second-consecutive Finals appearance, taking 12th place at the DCI World Championship Semifinals.
“We’re fighting for excellence,” Wolf added. “We’re not fighting against any other corps. We’re trying to be just the best Blue Knights there could ever possibly be.”
In Friday’s event, Blue Knights snuck inches ahead of a Pacific Crest corps that has had one of its strongest seasons ever. Despite not clinching what would have been the southern California corps’ first-ever Finals position, Pacific Crest matched its strongest placement ever, and topped its all-time high final score with a tally of 86.663.
“Everyone’s been working so hard, and it’s so amazing to see it show up,” Pacific Crest drum major Julia Framan said. “We’ve made history with our highest score yet of any season in Pacific Crest history, so there’s definitely a lot of excitement.”
And with Madison Scouts having been right in the mix to the very end as well — just 0.5 points away from Blue Knights — 2026 will go down as one of the most hard-fought Finals races in recent history.
Madison Scouts drum major Sarah Beth Black said that she couldn’t have been prouder of the efforts put forth by her corps this summer.
“We want to make the crowd feel something, we want to make the crowd feel the Madison Scouts,” Black said after coming off the field of Lucas Oil Stadium. “Feel the presence of the Madison Scouts and know that we’re here and we’re ready to make them stand up. And that’s exactly what happened.”
1. Bluecoats » 98.563
2. Blue Devils » 96.975
3. Carolina Crown » 96.800
4. Boston Crusaders » 95.588
5. Santa Clara Vanguard » 95.050
Bluecoats’ undefeated streak extended into another dominant victory Friday night, with the Canton corps — in search of its third championship ever, all in the last 10 seasons — sweeping all captions except Brass and leading the field by just over 1.5 points.
“All the way to the end, that’s what we preached. No matter what, no matter what happens, no matter how the scores end up,” Bluecoats drum major Tony Gamez said. “This is because of us and because we love this activity. I feel like this is a really, really special moment for us because there’s so much love.”
Blue Devils and Carolina Crown were neck-and-neck for the second night in a row, with the California corps once again leading by a slim margin of just 0.175 points. While overall Visual was a strength for Blue Devils, Carolina Crown’s strong Music scores — namely a first-place Brass caption — have played a major factor in this competitive race.
“This spectacular performance that they always put on, they always want to get better, and they get better while they’re performing,” Crown drum major Sabur Mannsur said of the corps’ brass section.
In what has also become an intriguing race between fourth and fifth, Santa Clara Vanguard made up noticeable ground, cutting its deficit behind Boston Crusaders to just 0.538 points. Overall Music was a strength for Vanguard, while the Boston corps held a solid advantage in overall Visual.
Vanguard also scored second in Percussion behind the Bluecoats.
“What’s really great about this group is the consistency that we bring every single day to rehearsal,” Santa Clara Vanguard drum major Megan Conlan said. “Obviously, everyone’s super excited to be in Indy, performing in Lucas Oil, but I’m proud of the way that they’ve been able to stay calm and remain focused through that.”
6. Blue Stars » 93.338
7. Phantom Regiment » 93.013
8. The Cavaliers » 91.850
9. Colts » 90.350
In pursuit of the corps’ highest placement in nearly 50 years, Blue Stars landed in sixth for the second straight night, besting Phantom Regiment by just 0.325 points. Blue Stars trailed Regiment in overall Music, but made up the gap with leads in General Effect and overall Visual, while also scoring ahead of Santa Clara Vanguard in Brass.
The eighth-place Cavaliers continued to hold the ninth-place Colts at arm’s length, leading by 1.5 points thanks especially to solid-sized advantages in General Effect and overall Music.
After Friday’s result, though, Colts are in position to match the corps’ highest placement ever. Its highest final score ever, 90.263, is also in the crosshairs.
“We’ve had such an amazing vibe for the entire season, and I’m so blessed to call this corps family and home,” Colts drum major Abigail Corley said. “I love the Colts.”
10. Spirit of Atlanta » 88.763
11. Troopers » 87.950
12. Blue Knights » 86.750
13. Pacific Crest » 86.663
14. Madison Scouts » 86.250
Spirit held on to its 10th-place position from Prelims, fending off Troopers by just under a point thanks largely to its strong lead in General Effect. The Wyoming corps scored ahead of Spirit in Music Analysis.
READ: Spirit punches “Golden” Finals ticket in strongest season since 2013
Meanwhile, the race for spots in the Top 12 came down to the wire. Blue Knights ended up with the 12th and final spot in Saturday’s event, defeating Pacific Crest by just 0.087 points. Pacific Crest outscored the Denver corps in General Effect and overall Visual, but Blue Knights’ Music scores were enough to make up the difference.
In 14th place, just half a point away from the Finals cutoff, Madison Scouts became the highest-scoring 14th-place corps ever, toppling the 2022 Blue Knights’ mark of 85.788. The Wisconsin corps outpaced Blue Knights in General Effect, and scored ahead of Pacific Crest in Brass and Music Analysis.
15. Crossmen » 83.425
16. Music City » 83.400
17. The Academy » 82.525
18. Blue Devils B » 81.375
19. Spartans » 80.788
20. The Battalion » 79.225
Crossmen made impressive competitive strides this season, leaping all the way from 19th place a year ago, up to 15th and improving upon its 2025 final tally by more than a point. Also making noteworthy competitive strides, Music City wrapped up an all-time best final score for the third time in the last four years, and matched its best placement, earned a season ago.
“Leaving it all out there, it means a lot to me, and it means a lot to our corps,” Music City drum major Naomi Smith said. “Music City is definitely growing. We’re all in great hands and that’s perfect. And I really think this is the best corps to be in if you want growth and a lot of love.”
The Academy checked in not far behind Music City, earning 17th place and tying the Nashville corps in overall Visual.
Blue Devils B left no doubt in its return to the World Championships stage after a season away in 2025, replicating its 2024 placement of 18th and fending off Spartans by 0.587 points. The New Hampshire corps scored ahead of Blue Devils B in General Effect and ranked as high as 15th in Color Guard, but Blue Devils B’s strong Music scores were a difference-maker.
“We always felt that we had something to prove. This group had an inextinguishable drive in there,” Blue Devils B drum major Mason Merritt said. “To be able to come out and just show them what we’re made of, and show them what fire is inside of us, feels really good.”
The Battalion’s last several years have been full of noticeable competitive steps forward — 2022 was the corps’ first time traveling to Indianapolis for the DCI World Championships, 2024 was its first time in Semifinals and 2025 was its first Open Class medalist season — and 2025 was no different.
This week, The Battalion earned silver for the first time at the DCI Open Class Championships, and followed it up Friday with its first Top 20 finish and a new all-time best final score.
“I loved the energy, just getting to feel the audience and ensemble interact with each other, feeding off each other’s energy and emotions,” Battalion drum major David Harrison said. “Competitively, we’re getting stronger. We’re all about getting better every single year.”
21. Seattle Cascades » 78.563
22. Gold » 77.975
23. Genesis » 76.675
24. Memphis Blues » 75.425
25. River City Rhythm » 73.900
Seattle Cascades completed a strong 60th anniversary season Friday afternoon, earning the corps’ highest final placement since 2007 and outdoing The Battalion in General Effect. Gold wasn’t far behind, and scored ahead of Cascades in overall Music. Genesis ranked 23rd overall, closing its season with a score of 76.675.
It’s an amazing feeling, this is my last performance, I’m an age-out, I’m a five-year vet,” Seattle Cascades drum major Zoe Arambul said. “This was the performance I wanted, and it feels absolutely amazing coming from 2022 to now, we’ve grown so much.”
Not far back from there, a historic inaugural season as an Open Class member corps ended with Memphis Blues impressively earning 24th place and a final tally of 75.425.
“Yeah, I’m a little emotional. Once again, we fed off the crowd,” Memphis Blues drum major Ethan West said. “That was crazy. It’s a full circle moment for a lot of us, it’s just really emotional. We’re just happy to be here.”
River City Rhythm wrapped up its 2026 season by matching last year’s record-breaking placement in 25th place. The corps’ final score outperformed its previous all-time high of 73.150, set a year ago.
The top 12 corps from Friday night’s Semifinalsill take the field one last time for the 2026 DCI World Championship Finals. Prior to that will be the SoundSport International Music & Food Festival and All-Age World Championship Finals. All events will stream live from FloMarching.
