The semifinal matchups are officially set at the 2026 ADCC World Championships in Krakow, Poland.
Saturday's opening day delivered a mix of expected results, breakout performances and major upsets across all eight weight classes. Several top seeds advanced to Day 2, but a handful of newcomers and lower-seeded competitors also punched their tickets to the semifinals.
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The semifinal round, medal matches and finals will take place Sunday. ADCC organizers are also expected to announce the absolute division brackets on Sunday.
+99kg: Felipe Pena Headlines Heavyweight Semifinals
The heavyweight division largely held form, with No. 1 seed Felipe Pena advancing to Day 2 after submitting both Belal Etiabari and Nick Hartman. Pena will face No. 4 seed Josh Saunders in one semifinal.
On the opposite side, No. 3 seed Victor Hugo advanced with two submission victories, while Scotland's Mark Macqueen delivered one of the division's biggest surprises by upsetting No. 2 seed Dan Manasoiu in the quarterfinals.
Semifinals
- No. 1 Felipe Pena vs. No. 4 Josh Saunders
- No. 3 Victor Hugo vs. No. 10 Mark Macqueen
-99kg: Duarte Rolling, Rocha Emerges As Threat
Four-time ADCC champion Kaynan Duarte has looked dominant through two rounds, submitting Nico Maglicic and Javier Zaruski to secure his semifinal spot.
The biggest surprise on Duarte's side of the bracket has been Australia's Daniel Schuardt, who submitted both Michael Pixley and Eoghan O’Flanagan to reach the semifinals.
The other half of the bracket features two of the division's most dangerous competitors. Luke Griffith advanced through the quarterfinals, while Achilles Rocha continued his breakout run by defeating both Declan Moody and ADCC legend Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu.
Semifinals
- No. 1 Kaynan Duarte vs. No. 13 Daniel Schuardt
- No. 2 Luke Griffith vs. No. 11 Achilles Rocha
-88kg: Home Crowd Hero Jaworski Steals The Show
No division produced a bigger local storyline than -88kg.
Poland's Pawel Jaworski entered the tournament as the No. 8 seed and has quickly become one of the breakout stars of the event. After submitting Roberto Dib Frias in the opening round, Jaworski shocked top-seeded Felipe Costa to advance to the semifinals in front of a packed Krakow crowd.
Brazil's Gabriel Brod also reached the semifinals after defeating Jon "Thor" Blank and Lucas Kanard.
The opposite side of the bracket features two athletes who have looked dominant throughout the day. Jozef Chen advanced with a victory over Chris Wojcik, while Marlon Tajik submitted Nathan Haddad to secure his semifinal berth.
Semifinals
- No. 8 Pawel Jaworski vs. No. 12 Gabriel Brod
- No. 7 Jozef Chen vs. No. 3 Marlon Tajik
-77kg: Veterans And Rising Stars Collide
The -77kg division may have delivered the deepest quarterfinal round of the tournament.
One of the biggest moments of the day came when Magomed Dzharbaev defeated top-seeded Vagner Rocha, who announced his retirement following the match.
Dzharbaev will now meet hometown favorite Mateusz Szczecinski, who advanced past Elijah Dorsey in a tightly contested quarterfinal.
On the other side, 2024 bronze medalist PJ Barch continued his strong run, while Jacob Bornemann added another impressive victory to his breakout tournament by defeating teammate and ADCC veteran Dante Leon.
Semifinals
- No. 9 Magomed Dzharbaev vs. No. 5 Mateusz Szczecinski
- No. 3 PJ Barch vs. Unseeded Jacob Bornemann
-66kg: Pato Remains Favorite, But Bracket Opens Up
Top-seeded Diego "Pato" Oliveira remains on track for a title run after victories over Jakub Wiklacz and Gianni Grippo.
However, the bracket changed dramatically when No. 15 seed Ryoma Anraku upset No. 2 seed Owen Jones in the opening round.
Jones later returned to the bracket as a replacement after Dorian Olivarez was disqualified following a post-match altercation. Jones advanced to the quarterfinals before falling to Dominic Mejia.
Pato will now face Kennedy Maciel in a matchup featuring two of the division's most accomplished veterans, while Mejia and Gavin Corbe meet in the other semifinal.
Semifinals
- No. 1 Diego Pato vs. No. 5 Kennedy Maciel
- No. 11 Gavin Corbe vs. No. 7 Dominic Mejia
Women's +65kg: Crevar's Collision Course Changes
Much of the pre-tournament discussion centered around a potential final between top-seeded Helena Crevar and No. 2 seed Gabi Pessanha.
That possibility disappeared Saturday morning when Anabel Lopez scored one of the tournament's biggest upsets, defeating Pessanha by decision after overtime.
Crevar remains the favorite on her side of the bracket after a submission victory over Matilda Reid, while Lopez now faces Paige Ivette Clymer for a spot in the final.
Semifinals
- No. 1 Helena Crevar vs. No. 7 Elizabeth Mitrovic
- No. 6 Anabel Lopez vs. No. 4 Paige Ivette Clymer
Women's -65kg: Veterans Meet New Faces
Returning champion Ana Carolina Vieira survived a tough quarterfinal against Nadia Frankland to advance to Day 2.
Vieira will now face Mo Black, while Sarah Galvao continued her impressive ADCC debut run and moves on to meet 14-year-old sensation Joslyn Molina.
Molina has already made history as the youngest athlete to win an ADCC match and now enters the semifinal round with a chance to reach the finals.
Semifinals
- No. 1 Ana Carolina Vieira vs. No. 5 Mo Black
- No. 2 Sarah Galvão vs. No. 7 Joslyn Molina
Women's -55kg: Favorites Advance
The women's -55kg division largely followed the expected script.
Top-seeded Jasmine Rocha advanced with a submission victory and will meet Ana Mayordomo in the semifinals. On the opposite side, multiple-time world champion Mayssa Bastos advanced alongside Anna Rodrigues.
All four semifinalists remain in contention entering Sunday's final day.
Semifinals
- No. 1 Jasmine Rocha vs. No. 4 Ana Mayordomo
- No. 3 Mayssa Bastos vs. No. 2 Ana Rodrigues
Absolute Brackets Still To Come
While all eight divisional semifinal brackets are now set, one major piece of the tournament remains unknown.
The men's and women's absolute division brackets are expected to be announced Sunday before competition resumes in Krakow, adding another layer of intrigue to the final day of the 2026 ADCC World Championships.
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