Rose City Rollers 2026 Global Champs Recap
Portland’s Rose City Rollers (RCR) All Stars made history in Malmö, Sweden at the 2026 WFTDA Global Championships (Champs). RCR’s A team, Wheels of Justice, competed in their eighth consecutive final, and their B team, Axles of Annihilation (AOA), became the first ever B team to compete in the tournament.
AOA earned their spot to become the first ever B team to compete at Champs after finishing fourth in their Regional Playoff. AOA won their first two games against Calgary and Paris before falling to Arch Rival, bringing their rank to 7th in the world (not to shabby for a B team!!!)
Rose City’s A team, Wheels of Justice (WOJ), took on Denver in the semi-final, a team they’ve met many times in the past. Tensions were high, as WOJ had lost to Denver earlier this season. WOJ fought hard to secure a close win (188-174) over Denver and clinch their spot to play for gold in the final.
On the other side of the bracket, VRDL from Melbourne, Austrailia, bested fan-favorite Arch Rival to earn their place in the gold-medal bout. Former Denver and WOJ skater, Shaina Serelson, led VRDL on the bench as head coach.
In the final game, VRDL held strong, and took the victory against WOJ, 77-142. This win makes VRDL the only team to beat WOJ for gold in the past 11 years (!) VRDL’s previous Championship win against WOJ was in 2017.
Here’s a breakdown of WFTDA Championship finals since 2014:
2014: WOJ v Gotham
2015: WOJ v Gotham
2016: WOJ v Gotham (WoJ played VRDL in the semi-final)
2017: WOJ v VRDL
2018: WOJ v VRDL
2019: WOJ v Gotham
2024: WOJ v Arch Rival (WoJ played VRDL in the semi-final)
2026: WOJ v VRDL
Despite falling short of gold this time around, WOJ continues to prove their place among the world’s top teams. Reaching the final game is no small feat!
AOA’s Championship performance is a reflection of Rose City’s strategic and innovative program that builds depth that sustains high-level competitiveness across generations of skaters.
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