WNXL 2026 Tampa Bay Open: Heroines Claim Dominant Season Opener
The fifth season of the Women’ s Pro Xball League( WNXL) exploded into life at the 2026 Tampa Bay Open, showcasing the league’ s fastest, fiercest woman players across a packed weekend of 12‐minute matches in two-game brackets live on YouTube. Eleven pro teams entered the season opener— but only one walked away champions- and they did it in emphatic fashion.
Prelims: Champions Rise, Underdogs Shock, and Three Teams Go Perfect
The preliminary round delivered drama from the opening horn. The weekend’ s earliest storyline centered on the Bear Ridge Saints, brand‐new to the WNXL and immediately proving they belonged. The Saints stunned spectators with a 4 – 3 win over The Royals, then delivered an even bigger shock: a 3 – 2 upset over Dallas Vibe, last year’ s celebrated 3‐on‐3 champions inside Raymond James Stadium.
By Saturday night, the Saints were undefeated— one of three teams running perfect.
The Femmes Fatale, a perennial powerhouse, bulldozed their way through prelims as well, including a commanding 5 – 1 statement win over the San Francisco Sirens and a 4 – 3 nail‐biter over The Royals.
But the biggest and most consistent force of the weekend? The reigning world champions: The Heroines.
The Heroines opened with the first mercy-rule win of the season, a crushing 5 – 0 shutout of the Immortal Angels. They followed that with another clean 5 – 0 victory over Thunder Valley Voltage, then edged out the Baltimore Nevermores 3 – 1, dropping just a single point on their march to the top seed and a bye out of the quarterfinals and into the semis.
Photo By Nicholas Shaw
082 paintball. media magazine