The PBR World Championship is the premier individual championship awarded by Professional Bull Riders (PBR) to the rider who accumulates the most PBR World Championship points during a season. First awarded in 1994, the championship is contested throughout the PBR season and culminates at the PBR World Finals, where the champion is crowned and receives the PBR World Championship buckle.
The championship has been awarded annually since 1994 and has been contested under several names for the PBR's premier series, including the Bud Light Cup Series from 1994 to 2002, the Built Ford Tough Series from 2003 to 2017, and the Unleash the Beast Series since 2018. Adriano Morães was the inaugural champion, while John Crimber is the reigning champion, having won the 2026 championship.
Three riders – Adriano Morães, Silvano Alves, and José Vitor Leme – have won the championship three times, the most in PBR history.
List of champions Season Champion Hometown Points Ref. 1994 Adriano Morães Cachoeira Paulista, Brazil 1995 Tuff Hedeman Morgan Mill, Texas 1996 Owen Washburn Lordsburg, New Mexico 6,310.00 1997 Michael Gaffney Albuquerque, New Mexico 1998 Troy Dunn Sarina, Australia 7,994.00 1999 Cody Hart Gainesville, Texas 10,100.00 2000 Chris Shivers Jonesville, Louisiana 9,138.50 2001 Adriano Morães (2) Cachoeira Paulista, Brazil 11,119.00 2002 Ednei Caminhas Presidente Alves, Brazil 9,413.00 2003 Chris Shivers (2) Jonesville, Louisiana 8,455.50 2004 Mike Lee Paradise, Texas 12,138.25 2005 Justin McBride Elk City, Oklahoma 13,415.25 2006 Adriano Morães (3) Cachoeira Paulista, Brazil 11,109.75 2007 Justin McBride (2) Elk City, Oklahoma 14,820.25 2008 Guilherme Marchi Leme, Brazil 16,841.50 2009 Kody Lostroh Longmont, Colorado 16,640.00 2010 Renato Nunes Buritama, Brazil 13,960.00 2011 Silvano Alves Pilar do Sul, Brazil 15,742.00 2012 Silvano Alves (2) Pilar do Sul, Brazil 12,201.75 2013 J.B. Mauney Mooresville, North Carolina 15,092.25 2014 Silvano Alves (3) Pilar do Sul, Brazil 11,703.50 2015 J.B. Mauney (2) Mooresville, North Carolina 5,905.00 2016 Cooper Davis Jasper, Texas 5,815.00 2017 Jess Lockwood Volborg, Montana 4,262.50 2018 Kaique Pacheco Itatiba, Brazil 5,199.16 2019 Jess Lockwood (2) Volborg, Montana 7,562.50 2020 José Vitor Leme Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil 1,474.00 2021 José Vitor Leme (2) Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil 2,832.50 2022 Daylon Swearingen Piffard, New York 1,567.50 2023 Rafael José de Brito Potirendaba, Brazil 1,338.00 2024 Cássio Dias São Francisco de Sales, Brazil 1,830.33 2025 José Vitor Leme (3) Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil 1,494.00 2026 John Crimber Decatur, Texas 1,242.50
Champions by country No. Country Seasons 17 United States 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2026 15 Brazil 1994, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025 1 Australia 1998 0 Canada Mexico New Zealand Paraguay
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