Salt Lake City, UT, WPH Press –
The 2026 WPH Race 4 Eight Salt Lake City Aces Player’s Championship provides professional handball’s greatest showcase, featuring the R48, WR48, and SR48 battling for Player’s Championships, the most coveted prize in professional handball.
Martin Mulkerrins enters the 2026 Aces Player’s Championship at the R48 #1, having won two of the four 2025/26 Race stops preceding the 2026 Player’s Championship. 2025 R48 Player’s Champion and defending Player’s Cup champion Lucho Cordova sits in P2, having won one Race stop this season. Leo Canales and Ray Ure round out the top four, respectively, and will be joined by the remaining R48 Elite 8 and a strong field of challengers.
WR48 #1 Niamh Heffernan will aim to continue her four-event WR48 winning streak, while also seeking to defend her 2025 WR48 Aces Player’s Championship and 2025 WR48 Player’s Cup. WR48 #2 Aoife Holden and WR48 #3 Clodagh Munroe will be pursuing their first WR48 titles at the 2026 Aces Player’s Championship, with both appearing in WR48 finals this season.
SR48 #1 Sean Lenning leads the field of SR48 stars in Salt Lake City that includes Boxer Rosales and Chris Watkins.
Check out all of the important Salt Lake City Aces tournament information and links for the entire 2025/26 Race 4 Eight tour below.
2026 WPH R48 Salt Lake City Player’s Championship
- Date: May 1-3, 2026
- Site: Sports Mall, 5445 S 900 E, Salt Lake City, UT, 84117
- Tournament directors: Lon Stalsberg, Matt Stalsberg, Jason Macdonald, Ruben Garza, Dave Vincent, David Fink
- Tournament sponsors: Ace Disposal, WPH, JR WPH
- Pro events: R48 Men’s Pro, WR48, SR48
- Number of Race 4 Eight events the Aces Crew have hosted in Salt Lake City: 13
- Defending R48 champion (2025): Lucho Cordova
- Defending WR48 champion (2025): Niamh Heffernan
- Defending SR48 Champion (2025): Sean Lenning
- Race 4 Eight Player’s Cup Champions (year-end #1) entered: Lucho, Mulkerrins
- Current or former Race 4 Eight #1’s entered: Lenning, Danos, Mulkerrins, Lucho, N. Heffernan
- WR48 Player’s Champions entered: Niamh Heffernan
- SR48 Player’s Champions entered: Lenning
- Number of ranked Race 4 Eight pros entered: 25 (and counting)
WPH Destination Series Salt Lake City HERE
More info on the 2026 WPH Race 4 Eight Aces Player’s Championship, including starting times and to follow the brackets HERE
2026 WPH Race 4 Eight Aces Player’s Championship press release HERE
WPH on YouTube HERE
Become a WPH Patreon HERE
Race 4 Eight Fun Facts Post 2026 Race 4 Eight LAAC HERE
Current Race 4 Eight Rankings HERE
Race 4 Eight pro player bios HERE
WPH Coaching Centers HERE
WPH Workout Central HERE
2025/26 Race 4 Eight schedule with all champions and finalists HERE
WPH RACE 4 EIGHT: The World Players of Handball’s 2025/26 Race 4 Eight Powered by ESPN featured Race 4 Eight stops in Oregon, Arizona, Missouri, and California, all culminating with The Player’s Championship in Utah in May of 2026. Similar to NASCAR’s Nextel Cup and the FedEx PGA Playoffs, players earn points in the Race 4 Eight’s regular season stops to qualify for the season-ending Player’s Championship and bonus prizes.
For more information on the WPH Race 4 Eight title sponsor opportunity, please contact World Players of Handball Executive Director David Vincent at dave.vincent@wphlive.tv or World Players of Handball Development Director David Fink at david.fink@wphlive.tv. For more information on the World Players of Handball, please visit wphlive.tv
Become a WPH Patreon HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer
WPH Aces Player’s Championship – May 1-3, 2026
Salt Lake City, Utah
ESPN+ Broadcast Schedule
Saturday, May 2, 2026 – Broadcast Window: 9am to 6pm (Mountain Time)
Men’s Pro Quarters (TBD):
09:00 Martin Mulkerrins or Andres Cordova or Dylan Schmitt vs Jeff Streibig or Jon Gutierrez or Sean Lenning or Marty Gonzalez
09:45 Ivan Burgos or Ayden Brule or Dylan Hernandez vs John Chapman or Jorge Pimentel or Ray Ure
10:30 Mark Doyle or Robert Bell or Max Langmack or Ryan Watkins vs Luis Cordova or Coleman McGrath or Boxer Rosales
11:15 Leo Canales or John A. Bike or Moses Gardea vs Daniel Cordova or Eliseo Gutierrez or Diarmuid Mulkerrins
Women’s Pro Semis (TBD):
12:00 Niamh Heffernan or Ashleigh Sharkey vs Taylor Bell or Christina Pecaut
12:45 Suzanne Entzeroth or Danielle Daskalakis vs Stacey Marble or Aoife Holden
Senior 40+ Pro Semis (TBD):
13:30 Sean Lenning vs Chris Watkins or Boxer Rosales
14:15 George Garcia Jr or Jeff Streibig vs Ryan Campbell or Rafa Martinez
Men’s Pro Semis (TBD):
15:15 Upper Bracket TBD
16:15 Lower Bracket TBD
Sunday, May 3, 2026 – Broadcast Window: 9am to 1:30pm (Mountain Time)
Senior 40+ Pro Finals:
09:00 Lenning or Watkins or Rosales vs Garcia or Streibig or Campbell or Martinez
Men’s Pro 5th or 9th Final (TBD):
09:45 TBD
Women’s Pro Final (TBD):
10:30 Heffernan or Sharkey or Bell or Pecaut vs Holden or Marble or Daskalakis or Entzeroth
Men’s Pro Final (TBD):
11:15 TBD