We have been generally pleased with the results of the Regional program implementation over the course of the 2025-2026 season. These changes are in response to player feedback and annual rebalancing.

Changes for 2026-2027 are as follows:

1. Regional Preliminary events will remain 4-round events with a cut of zero-win players after Round 3. At the end of Round 4, the player ranked at the top of the leaderboard will be the Regional Champion. The next 12 players will be Regional Finalists.
2. The Regional Champion earns a bye to the US Nationals Semifinal round, in Seat 1 at one of the four Semifinal tables.
3. The Regional Finalists are offered the opportunity to attend US Nationals to play in the 48-person Quarterfinal, which will fill the remaining 12 seats in the Semifinal. Quarterfinal structure specifics will be announced at a later date.
4. The Regional Champion will receive a travel voucher or stipend to make their travel arrangements for US Nationals. All players are responsible for booking their own travel and accommodations.
5. Regional adjustments:
   1. Alabama → Pirate Region
   2. Florida → Pirate Region
   3. Georgia → Pirate Region
   4. Texas → Knight Region

Local Qualifier:

• Games Played: 4-6 (depending on attendance, see Rule 1.1.5)
• Scoring: Standard CATAN Scoring. Large Event rules should be used if applicable (elimination of 0-win players after Game 3)
• Advancement: Winner qualifies for Regional Preliminary

These are local events hosted by retailers, conventions, and fan organizers. They are the first level of competition. Winners advance to a Regional Preliminary based on the state where the Local Qualifier took place (see the Region Map below).

The local qualifier structure is unchanged for 2026-2027, except as relates to location (see updates to the Region Map).

Regional Preliminary:

• Games Played: 4
• Scoring: Standard CATAN Scoring with Large Format rules if applicable (elimination of 0-win players after Game 3)
• Advancement: Top player (Regional Champion) earns a bye to the Semifinal Round of the US National Championship. The next 12 places (Regional Finalists) are invited to participate in the Quarterfinal Round at US Nationals. Exact structure of the Quarterfinal round will be announced at a later date.

Regional Preliminary events are hosted by a Local Qualifier organizer with support from CATAN Studio. There are three regions: Merchant, Knight, and Pirate. Regions are balanced by annual player participation and event count. Region balance will be reviewed annually.

Players are not “Region-locked,” meaning they may compete in multiple Regional Preliminaries if they win a Local Qualifier in each region. This gives them more opportunities to advance. Winners of Local Qualifier Tournaments are prohibited from participating in further Local Qualifiers in the same region.

Players may play in any Regional Preliminary events they qualify for, however they may only win one Regional Championship. Once a player  finishes first at the Regional Preliminary or Masters Invitational, they may not participate in any more Local Qualifiers or Regional Preliminaries in the same season to ensure all players have fair opportunities. Players that finish in the Regional Finalist positions may continue to try and win a Regional Championship in other regions.

If a qualified player cannot participate in their Regional Preliminary, the seat passes to the next highest-ranked player from their Local Qualifier. If the seat cannot be filled by someone in the top 4 at the Local Qualifier event in question, the seat remains unfilled.

Regional Preliminaries consist of four (4) games of CATAN and use standard CATAN tournament scoring. To streamline competition and ensure fair play, players with no game wins after the third match will be eliminated. There will not be a semifinal or final table. After the fourth game, the top 13 players (one Regional Champion + 12 Regional Finalists) will advance to the National Championship. Ties will be broken using standard CATAN tournament scoring (see rule 1.4.2).

Masters Invitational: an invitational event for players who have reached previous US CATAN National Championships (or placed in the Nationals Top 16 under the pre-2025 format). The top US-based player from the Masters Invitational will earn a bye into the Semifinals of the US National Championship. The next 12 US-based finishers (Masters Finalists) will be invited to compete in the Quarterfinal Round of the National Championship. More information about the Masters program can be found here.

National Championship: a 52-player event for the top players from each Regional Preliminary and the Masters Invitational. New in 2027, there will be a Quarterfinal round of 48, where players will compete to join the Masters and Regional Champions in the United States National Semifinal Round.

Most players begin their tournament journey at a Local Qualifier, with winners advancing through Regionals and ultimately to Nationals.

Below are the Region boundaries for the 2026-2027 season. Regional balance will be re-evaluated annually.

The top player from each Region (the Regional Champion) will be seated in Seat 1 at each of the four Semifinal tables.

Remaining 48 players will play in a Quarterfinal round, exact structure to be announced at a later date. Rankings from the Quarterfinal round will determine seat position at the Semifinal tables.

Semifinal games will be played sequentially over two days (3 games on Day 1, the 4th game the morning of Day 2).

The winners will play at a final table in the afternoon of Day 2.

The winner of the Final Table will be the National Champion.

No major Masters changes for 2026-2027 with the exception of the general changes to Regional Preliminary structure. Specifics on any other minor changes to the Masters program will come by the end of 2026.

The Masters Invitational will occur annually and will invite up to 64 players based on current standings.  This is unchanged from the current format.

What happens if I win more than one Local Qualifier?

Players who have won a local qualifier are prohibited from playing in additional local qualifiers in the same region.

Players may attempt to qualify in all three regions (Merchant, Knight, and Pirate), but may only hold one qualification for each region.

May I compete in multiple Regional Preliminaries?

Yes. Players may attempt to qualify for the National Championship in all Regional Preliminaries, but if they win a Regional Championship (and earn a bye to Semifinals for the National Championship) they are not allowed to continue to play in Regional Preliminary events. Players who finish as Regional Finalists (places 2-13) may continue to play in other Regional Preliminary events to attempt to earn Champion status (and the bye associated with it).

Example #1: Morgan has won Local Qualifiers in California and Indiana. They have therefore qualified in both the Merchant and Knight regions. When they compete in the Merchant Regional Preliminary, they place third, which makes them a Merchant Finalist in position 2, and qualified for the National Quarterfinal. They choose to play in the Knight Regional Preliminary to attempt to win the Champion spot and earn a Quarterfinal bye. They do not win, but finish eighth at the Knight Preliminary. Morgan’s Merchant finish is voided and someone below them will move up to fill their seat. They are now ranked as a Knight Finalist in position 8.

Example #2: Jamie has won a Local Qualifier in New York, and is also scheduled to compete in the Masters Invitational. They do not finish in the top 13 US-based players at Masters, and therefore may compete in the Pirate Regional Preliminary to attempt to qualify for the National Championship.

What happens if a qualified player can’t attend Regionals or Nationals?

Their seat will fall to the next player in their qualifying event.

Example #1: Alex won a Local Qualifier in the Pirate Region, but is unable to attend the Pirate Regional Preliminary. Their seat would fall to the 2nd place player at the Local Qualifier.

Example #2: Taylor placed 4th in the Knight Regional Preliminary. They are unable to attend the National Championship Quarterfinal. The person who placed 5th at the Knight Regional would now take their seat.