# The Score Card 19: PAPA, EPC, and The UK Open by [Matt Owen](/author/matt-owen) · October 8, 2026 · [The Score Card](/news/category/the-score-card) > September brought two IFPA Majors and a Stern Pro Circuit stop. Jared August won PAPA in Stone Park, Eric Stone took the UK Pinball Open in London, and Viggo Löwgren won the European Pinball Championship on a 10-billion-point Attack from Mars ball. In competitive pinball, every tournament can feel intense in its own way, but most pale in comparison to [the Majors](https://www.ifpapinball.com/players/records.php): five cutthroat competitions held across the season, where the winner is forever etched into IFPA history. Rolling into September after a somewhat laid-back summer, players needed to get back into the groove fast, as the month held not one, but two Major tournaments, presenting serious pressure but equal reward. Of course, these weren't the only notable tournaments of the month, as the Stern Pro Circuit continued to truck on, this time taking us across the Atlantic. On this edition of [The Score Card](https://www.kineticist.com/news/category/the-score-card), we're taking a look at the three biggest tournaments in September, as we return to an iconic Chicago staple, then jump across the pond to the UK for another Major and the next tournament on the Stern Pro Circuit. As usual for competitive pinball, the drama was high, matches were close, and now, two more players can call themselves Major pinball champions. ## PAPA 2026 ![The PAPA 2026 Main A Division top four holding their placement plaques and the championship trophy at The Pinball Capital](https://media.kineticist.com/e9efb564-ee33-473f-b392-ec2f26a6a7e0.png) *PAPA 2026 Main A Division top four* Back in its third year after revival, the PAPA World Pinball Championships has a long history in the competitive pinball world, with the first tournament dating back all the way to 1991. Since its resurgence in 2024, PAPA has been a beacon of competition and community in the pinball scene, garnering hundreds of players and raising nearly $100,000 for the [988 Foundation for Suicide Awareness](https://988lifeline.org/learn/) in memory of [Lyman F. Sheats Jr.](https://www.kineticist.com/people/lyman-f-sheats-jr) In that regard, this year was no different, as nearly 200 players traveled to [The Pinball Capital](https://www.kineticist.com/locations/the-pinball-capital-stone-park-il) in Stone Park, Illinois, to compete in a string of high-stakes tournaments, including the main PAPA Championship: one of five IFPA Majors of the 2026 season. For most of the tournaments, qualifying was Hybrid Best Game, a format that sees players racking up scores in single-player games, with their 10 best games contributing to their placement in the standings. With 72 spots available in A Division, there was a bit of room to breathe, but with dozens of top world-ranked players in attendance, qualifying for playoffs was no easy feat. With [Fox Cities Pinball](https://www.kineticist.com/promoters/fox-cities-pinball) there to broadcast all of the action live on Twitch, viewers were treated to an excellent show, as some of pinball's best players showcased their immense skill. Once again, several familiar players came out on top of the standings, including #3 world-ranked Arvid Flygare, who not only nabbed the top qualifying spot with 5 top scores, but also paid respects to Lyman F. Sheats Jr. by choosing the designer's games for all 10 of his best submitted scores. ![Stream frame of the PAPA 2026 finals showing Greg Kennedy at Six Million Dollar Man, with the playfield and the four finalists' scoreboard](https://media.kineticist.com/ca09e26d-527b-4452-b37c-33f1cc55f63a.png) *Greg Kennedy on Six Million Dollar Man at PAPA 2026* After three days of qualifying, [the playoffs](https://www.neverdrains.com/papa23/playerIndex.php?bracketId=2&set=First%20Round) were held, and boy, were they an absolute slugfest. By the semifinals, only 2 of the top 5 qualifiers were left, including Jason Zahler and Cayle George, but they too were knocked out of the running, making for riveting 3-game grand finals between Preston Currie, Jared August, Gregory Kennedy, and Nick Weyna. The finals got off to a hell of a start in Game 1, [Six Million Dollar Man (Bally, 1978)](https://www.kineticist.com/games/pinball/six-million-dollar-man), as 3 of 4 players scored between 350,000 and 400,000 points, making it one of the closest matches of the playoffs so far. Ultimately, Jared August picked up the first-place finish with 391,290 points thanks to a huge ball 1. In Game 2, [Pulp Fiction (Chicago Gaming Company, 2023)](https://www.kineticist.com/games/pinball/pulp-fiction-2023), Greg started out the strongest on ball 1, playing a quick multiball for 470,000 points, while everyone else failed to clear 100,000. However, Jared fired back on ball 2 with some multiball play of his own, pushing his score up to 1.7 million points. While Greg tried his best to catch Jared on ball 3, it was not enough, and Jared continued to excel in multiball for a total of 2.6 million points, picking up another first-place finish. ![Stream frame of the PAPA 2026 finals showing Jared August playing Pulp Fiction](https://media.kineticist.com/76668cc1-a2ad-487a-8e2e-99aaff96d8b4.png) *Jared August on Pulp Fiction at PAPA 2026* Game 3 on [Total Nuclear Annihilation (Spooky, 2017)](https://www.kineticist.com/games/pinball/total-nuclear-annihilation) flipped the script, as both Jared and Greg were victims of quick drains and didn't scrounge up many points, while Nick and Preston both ground through several multiballs for 1.9 million points and 1.8 million points, respectively. Still, Jared's back-to-back wins earlier in the series proved to be enough, as despite coming in last place on Total Nuclear Annihilation, his total points were enough to secure the 2026 PAPA World Championship title, followed by Nick, Greg, and Preston. ![Stream frame of the PAPA 2026 finals showing Preston Currie playing Total Nuclear Annihilation](https://media.kineticist.com/89c0711b-e740-4b6e-9512-db48eb121dbd.png) *Preston Currie on Total Nuclear Annihilation at PAPA 2026* **PAPA 2026 Winners:** - Main A Division – [Jared August](https://www.ifpapinball.com/players/view.php?p=10654) (West Bloomfield Township, MI) - Main B Division – [Ricky Bryant](https://www.ifpapinball.com/players/view.php?p=100938) (Elgin, IL) - Classics – [Eric Stone](https://www.ifpapinball.com/players/view.php?p=90) (Fort Myers, FL) - Women's – [Kaylee Campbell](https://www.ifpapinball.com/players/view.php?p=34416) (Charlotte, NC) - Seniors – [Colin Krawcyk](https://www.ifpapinball.com/players/view.php?p=84971) (Mackinaw, IL) ![The PAPA 2026 Women's finalists holding the trophy and placement plaques in front of a row of machines at The Pinball Capital](https://media.kineticist.com/97be9757-c14d-4dfe-ad6d-f10773725d83.jpg) *PAPA 2026 Women's top four* ![The PAPA 2026 Classics finalists with their plaques and trophy beside a Classics bank sponsor banner](https://media.kineticist.com/0c9a33ee-060f-4333-a805-21764934ed92.jpg) *PAPA 2026 Classics top four* ## The UK Pinball Open 2026 At the end of September, the focus shifted from North America to the United Kingdom, where the [UK Pinball Open](https://playpinball.uk/) was held in London. The next stop on the Stern Pro Circuit, this is one of the region's premier events, featuring five tournaments including Main, Classics, Women's, Juniors, and a consolation Target Match Play competition. Held near the heart of the city at the Wandsworth Civic Suite, the event saw over 235 players from around the world competing for their chance at glory, with the action all streamed live on Twitch by [Backhand Pinball](https://www.kineticist.com/promoters/backhand-pinball). Qualifying for all tournaments was 5-game card format, challenging players to play consistently over several games, with the top 40 qualifiers in the main tournament progressing to [the playoffs](https://app.matchplay.events/tournaments/274686/matches). The batch of top qualifiers was a great example of the diversity of countries being represented at the UK Open, including: Viggo Löwgren and Arvid Flygare (Sweden), Eric Stone and Jack Slovacek (USA), Lukas Ott and Paul Englert (Germany), Daniele Celestino Acciari (Italy), and Julio Vicario Soriano (Spain), just to name a few. These top 8 qualifiers and 32 more battled it out in 3-game rounds, and come the grand finals, 4 had fought through: Arvid, Lukas, Eric, and Dante Oliva. ![Stream frame of the UK Pinball Open finals showing Eric Stone playing Total Nuclear Annihilation](https://media.kineticist.com/0e7ccd59-51f3-41f3-a416-1cf2404cce67.png) *Eric Stone on Total Nuclear Annihilation at the UK Pinball Open* Game 1 of the grand finals was on Total Nuclear Annihilation (Spooky, 2017), where every player followed the same strategy: get as many multiball jackpots as possible and clear a reactor or two to keep the jackpots juiced. Ball 1 was a wash for all but Eric, who started two multiballs and earned over 1 million points for his effort. Things improved on ball 2, as everyone got a stab at some multiball action, but Eric continued to push ahead, doubling his score to 2.4 million points. That score held, too, and by the end of ball 3, Eric had a walk-off win, trailed by Dante, Lukas, and Arvid, respectively. ![Stream frame of the UK Pinball Open finals showing Dante Oliva at Cactus Canyon Remake, with the playfield and the commentary desk](https://media.kineticist.com/9b304f37-9431-4d07-a7f8-17edd1c57e98.png) *Dante Oliva on Cactus Canyon Remake at the UK Pinball Open* Game 2, [Cactus Canyon Remake (Chicago Gaming Company, 2021)](https://www.kineticist.com/games/pinball/cactus-canyon-remake-2021), was mean to everyone on ball 1, as all players met the drain with just a million points or so. Luckily, Dante got a hold of it on ball 2, shooting accurately and surviving several sketchy encounters with the right outlane for 22 million points. Dante continued to pack on the points on ball 3, and while Eric had a commendable ball of his own, it was still not enough to catch Dante, who grabbed his first win of the series with 36 million points, trailed by Eric, Lukas, and Arvid. ![Stream frame of the UK Pinball Open finals showing Arvid Flygare playing X-Men](https://media.kineticist.com/e4cb3621-0d17-4263-a4a0-20153c3b5694.png) *Arvid Flygare on X-Men at the UK Pinball Open* This presented a Game 3 showdown on [X-Men (Stern, 2012)](https://www.kineticist.com/games/pinball/x-men), with Dante and Eric tied at 6 total points, while both Lukas and Arvid were mathematically locked out of the tournament win. However, the machine did not give them any grace, and by ball 3, Dante was in last place with 1.6 million points and Eric was in third with 6.9 million. After a brutal double drain during Wolverine multiball, Dante finished his game just 290 points shy of Eric, making Eric the 2026 UK Open A Division winner, with Dante in second place, Arvid in third place, and Lukas in fourth place. **UK Pinball Open 2026 Winners:** ![Eric Stone holding his UK Open 2026 Grand Champion award beside a smiling man in a UK Open shirt](https://media.kineticist.com/9ee419de-8670-4af4-9d28-1388c8af311f.jpg) *Eric Stone (right), UK Pinball Open 2026 champion* - Open A Division – Eric Stone (Florida, USA) - Open B Division – [Gabriel Chazanov](https://www.ifpapinball.com/players/view.php?p=33241) (USA) - Classics – [Wilfred Johnsen](https://www.ifpapinball.com/players/view.php?p=94099) (Copenhagen, Denmark) - Women's – [Tirza Wichelhaus](https://www.ifpapinball.com/players/view.php?p=110259) (Germany) - Target Match Play – [Koi Morris](https://www.ifpapinball.com/players/view.php?p=296) (New Jersey, USA) ![The four UK Pinball Open 2026 Women's finalists holding their awards in front of the event backdrop](https://media.kineticist.com/622107dc-3ad9-4a7c-ae24-cb308e838f0b.jpg) *UK Pinball Open 2026 Women's top four* ![The four UK Pinball Open 2026 Classics finalists holding their awards in front of the event backdrop](https://media.kineticist.com/ae381bd1-1470-46df-8886-53e86213906b.jpg) *UK Pinball Open 2026 Classics top four* ## European Pinball Championships 2026 ![Viggo Löwgren in headphones playing Attack from Mars, seen from behind past the stream camera rig](https://media.kineticist.com/0c82741f-34bf-4437-b7cb-a2c04f3ea062.jpg) *Viggo Löwgren on Attack from Mars at the European Pinball Championship* The UK Open event was also the host of the second IFPA Major tournament in September, the European Pinball Championship. Not to be confused with the invite-only 2025-26 IFPA European Pinball Championship, which we covered in [The Score Card 14](https://www.kineticist.com/news/score-card-14), this EPC is an open affair, where any player can show up, play their best, and have a shot at becoming a Major champion. Since the EPC format was 5-game card format and qualifying was available throughout the weekend, the tournament saw just as many entrants as the UK Open, with the top 72 qualifiers making it to [playoffs](https://www.neverdrains.com/ukopen2026/playerIndex.php?bracketId=4&set=First%20Round). ![Stream frame of the EPC 2026 finals showing Timber Engelbeen playing The Walking Dead](https://media.kineticist.com/b02d9b0b-a395-4212-9bde-aa5d5e64b8e7.png) *Timber Engelbeen on The Walking Dead at the European Pinball Championship* To no surprise, players who were performing well in the UK Open also appeared at the top of the EPC standings, with the top 8 qualifiers being nearly identical. Over 5 rounds of playoffs, that field of 72 players was cut down to the final 4, seeing the return of two familiar faces, Arvid Flygare and Eric Stone, this time joined by Timber Engelbeen and Viggo Löwgren. The 3-game grand finals kicked off on everyone's favorite punishing pin, [The Walking Dead (Stern, 2014)](https://www.kineticist.com/games/pinball/the-walking-dead), where lead switches were constant. Arvid took the lead on ball 1 by stacking prison and blood bath multiballs for 77 million points, only for Timber to do the same thing on ball 2, but scored 183 million points. Then, Viggo came in swinging on ball 3 with some valuable shots in Arena mode and scored 209 million points, but Timber answered back once again, echoing Viggo's Arena mode strategy and securing his first win of the series with 269 million points. ![Stream frame of the EPC 2026 finals showing Arvid Flygare playing JAWS](https://media.kineticist.com/cc9e3eb7-4d87-4ad6-95db-a2bb56bbd8b8.png) *Arvid Flygare on JAWS at the European Pinball Championship* Coming into Game 2, [JAWS (Stern, 2024)](https://www.kineticist.com/games/pinball/jaws-2024), everyone was fired up, and Eric used that energy to take the lead on ball 1, ripping super spinners and playing Jaws multiball for 275 million points. Refusing to let Eric run away with it, Viggo, Arvid, and Timber all rebounded on ball 2, with Timber in particular picking up tons of points in Night Swim mode and Jaws multiball, finishing with 347 million points. However, ball 3 was the Viggo show; despite taking two dangers early, he played both Search multiball and the 4th of July mini-wizard mode, racking up over 779 million points before a snappy left outlane drain. His hefty score proved enough to ice out his opponents as well, and Viggo picked up a first-place finish, followed by Arvid, Timber, and Eric. ![Stream frame of the EPC 2026 finals showing Viggo Löwgren playing Attack from Mars](https://media.kineticist.com/5bb170a4-61ae-4209-8d26-671ac598ffe0.png) *Viggo Löwgren on Attack from Mars at the European Pinball Championship* The decisive Game 3 was on the wickedly fast [Attack from Mars Remake (Chicago Gaming Company, 2017)](https://www.kineticist.com/games/pinball/attack-from-mars-remake-2017), and with Arvid, Timber, and Viggo all having a path to the EPC 2026 victory, it was going to be a battle of reflexes and strategic intent. Viggo put on the pressure early with some quick points in multiball, and though Arvid and Timber both drained before getting into a groove, it was still anyone's game. That all changed on ball 2, though, as Viggo had fully charged up and unleashed a hell of a performance. Blazing through jackpot after jackpot, with plenty of super jackpots sprinkled throughout, Viggo put on an absolute clinic, playing one of the best multiballs on Attack from Mars I've seen in my entire time covering competitive pinball. Ending his ball with over 10 billion points, he left a mountain for his opponents to climb, and ultimately, no one was able to catch him. After playing his heart out, Viggo Löwgren picked up his first-ever Major tournament win and was rightfully crowned the 2026 European Pinball Champion. **EPC 2026 Winners:** ![The EPC 2026 top four holding their awards, with Viggo Löwgren on the right holding the European Pinball Champion 2026 plaque](https://media.kineticist.com/fca74be8-2463-4da1-8965-eaac7f2bca30.jpg) *EPC 2026 top four* - First Place – [Viggo Löwgren](https://www.ifpapinball.com/players/view.php?p=16004) (Sweden) - Second Place – [Timber Engelbeen](https://www.ifpapinball.com/players/view.php?p=9604) (Belgium) - Third Place – [Arvid Flygare](https://www.ifpapinball.com/players/view.php?p=49549) (Sweden) - Fourth Place – Eric Stone (USA) - Team Tournament – Italy ## Upcoming Pinball Tournaments and Events As always, the schedule of competitive pinball tournaments never eases up, and that's especially true for the month of October. In addition to a few other conventions, the big event of the month is [Pinball Expo 2026](https://pinballexpo.com/) in Schaumburg, Illinois, where attendees can check out all the newest games from every manufacturer, in addition to a great homebrew section, hundreds of free play machines, and a variety of excellent vendors. Of course, Pinball Expo is also home to the next Stern Pro Circuit event, so any interested players should make the trip to compete, while those just wanting to watch the action can catch it all live on [Fox Cities Pinball's Twitch](https://www.twitch.tv/foxcitiespinball) channel. The invite-only 2025-26 Stern Pro Circuit Championship will also be taking place that weekend at the Pinball Capital, and viewers can enjoy that competition live on [Backhand Pinball's Twitch](https://www.twitch.tv/backhandpinball) channel. Looking a bit further ahead into the winter months, the [Houston Arcade Expo](https://www.houstonarcadeexpo.com/) offers tons of retro gaming fun in Houston, Texas, on November 13 – 15, while [Pincinnati](https://pincinnati.com/) presents a cozy hotel convention (and a Stern Pro Circuit tournament) in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 4 – 6. If you're looking for more local options, be sure to check out the [IFPA Tournament Calendar](https://www.ifpapinball.com/calendar/) for various holiday tournaments, Stern Fallout launch parties, and competitions of all formats. We'll be back next month with another recap of the latest tournament pinball action, but until then, have a fantastic flipping Halloween! --- _Canonical URL: https://www.kineticist.com/news/score-card-19_