Pinberra '26 tournament rules
The competitions being held at Pinberra '26 are sanctioned by the IFPA, the governing body for official world pinball competitions.
All players must adhere to the rules as set out by the IFPA. They feature sections on malfunctions and rulings, and player conduct. The IFPA have also issued a Player Code of Conduct.
Players should review both the rules and code of conduct before participating.
Pinberra '26 competition formats
ACT Pinball Championship 2026
Experience the thrill of competitive pinball in our flagship event. Your entry secures your place to vie for the title of ACT Pinball Champion 2026.
Players will be drawn into 4 player groups and play 3 games per round for 5 rounds.
The Top 24 qualify for the finals on the Sunday, which will be played as a group knockout format over 4 rounds.
The Top 8 qualifiers get a bye in the first round.
Over 4 rounds the field will reduce from 24 to 16 to 8 to 4 to 2 before the winner will be crowned ACT Pinball Champion 2026.
Curtis Cup
Honouring the memory of Curtis Sahariv, a much-loved member of the ACT and Australian pinball community, this is the inaugural Curtis Cup.
Held at the same time as the finals for the ACT Pinball Championship, players not qualifying for those finals have a chance to play for the Curtis Cup.
There will be 7 rounds of Group Matchplay qualifying, 1 game per round, with the Top 16 qualifying for the finals.
Finals will be Group Knockout format with 1 game per round for 3 rounds.
Pinberra '26 Flip Frenzy
A fast-moving tournament where for 3 hours you will be constantly playing a head to head game against an opponent, get a result, then back in the queue for the next matchup.
The Top 32 will qualify for the Group Knockout finals.
Finals are over 3 rounds: 1st round only the winner of each group progressing to Round 2 in the 2nd Round the Top 2 of each group qualify for the Final.
Pinberra '26 Pace Matchplay
Pinberra '26 see for the first time in the ACT, the Pace Matchplay format..
Pace Matchplay is a like running a race. You’re playing your matches, accumulating points along the way, but there’s a minimum amount of progress you need to make to stay in the race.
Players who fail to make the required progress are eliminated.
After 5 rounds you will need a minimum of 20 points to remain in the race. This minimum will increase by 7 points per round from then on.
When 8 players remain, they will go into the finals where a Group Knockout semi-final and final will decide the eventual winner.
Pinberra '26 Target Matchplay
A Group Matchplay competition over a number of rounds where a target of 30 points is set to qualify for the finals.
Once 16 players make the target points, the finals begin. Finals will be the standard Group Knockout format of 3 rounds: going from the 16 qualifiers to 8 to 4, before finding the ultimate winner.
