The best of the best. The elite. The ones that rise above the crowd. Those are the cowboys and cowgirls you are going to see competing at the 2026 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
Each year 15 of the best contestants in the world gather in Las Vegas to go head-to-head for 10 days straight and ultimately determine the World Champions.
This year, that gathering will begin on December 3. In all reality, they roll into town much sooner than that, but the first bulls will be ridden, calves tied, and barrels turned on December 3.
Some of the biggest names and stories involving cowboys won’t be there.
Among the notable absences are two reigning World Champions. They will not get the opportunity to defend their titles in 2026.
For one reason or several, some of the best in the world just didn’t make the cut.
Here are five cowboys who will be missing from action when the NFR kicks off at the Thomas & Mack Arena.
Rocker Steiner - Bareback Riding
Likely one of the most recognizable characters in rodeo will not be nodding his head from the yellow chutes in December. The reigning World Champion, Rocker Steiner will have to watch 15 others compete and one ultimately take his title from him.
Steiner won his first gold buckle in December 2025 and then entered the 2026 year ready to defend his championship.
However, an injury got in the way and changed all of those plans.
Given that it was his neck and clearly affecting his riding, taking time off was the right thing to do, no matter how tough a cowboy.
Steiner still earned over $122,000 during the regular season.
The battle in the bareback will probably go down to night ten, as this field of riders is packed full of talent. Guys like Bradlee Miller, Jacob Lees and Jess Pope are among those on the roster.
Steiner, however, will be rehabbing his neck and prepping for a comeback in 2027.
Tucker Allen - Steer Wrestling
Another World Champion that won’t be competing is Ventura, California’s Tucker Allen.
Allen took home the 2025 world title, but a knee injury ultimately took him out of the 2026 competition and prevented him from making what would have been his third trip to the NFR.
Jesse Brown will lead the pack coming into Las Vegas’ 10 rounds, but don’t take your eyes off five-time World Champion Tyler Waguespack. Wag is always a threat to the world title.
Allen will continue to work on his recovery and prepare for yet another trip to Sin City and a chance at a world title in 2027.
Gus Gaillard - Saddle Bronc Riding
The last day of the 2026 season had to be the most frustrating for this talented man. He was well on his way to qualifying for his first NFR and then...fate said no.
He entered the final day of the season sitting at No. 14, but when the tallies were complete for the Duel in the Dunes, Gaillard had been pushed out.
When the clock struck midnight on September 30, Gaillard was sitting in the number 16 position with $155,733.
Ben Andersen secured the final NFR position with $157,992 which left Gaillard on the outside looking in by just $2,259.
That was particularly painful as the saddle bronc riding proved the toughest event to qualify if you only go by money won.
This is certainly not to say that the man from Morse, Texas didn’t have a very successful 2026, because he did. Make no mistake: he will be back, and he will qualify for the NFR.
Clayton Sellars - Bull Riding
The four-time NFR qualifying bull rider from Fruitlandpark, Florida won’t get to make his fifth trip to the City of Lights in December.
He certainly knows what it takes to get there, but he fell just outside of the top 15 in 2026.
The deficit he had to overcome at the end of the season just proved to be too much. He finished with $142,266, which was almost $14,000 short of the cutoff.
Bull riding has become increasingly competitive over the years, and this year in particular, we have watched several young up-and-comers really dominate.
Sellars will find his way back into the top 15; he hasn’t nodded his head for the last time in Vegas, just yet.
Justin Shaffer - Steer Wrestling
The final number was $1,198. That’s it. That’s all that will keep Shaffer on the sidelines in December. After winning $114,797 during the regular season, the Hico, Texas man will have to try again in 2027.
Holden Myers walked away with the No. 15 spot after the earning the biggest win of his career in 2026 at RodeoHouston.
Shaffer kept himself in the conversation right up until the end, even battling at the Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Although he put forth an incredible effort and even made it to the finals there, it wasn’t enough.
These cowboys may have ended the season without an NFR qualification, but their names will still be among the best in the world for years to come.
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