# 2025-26 IFPA WNACS Recap

**Source:** IFPA  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2026-04-03  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.ifpapinball.com/2025-26-ifpa-wnacs-recap/

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## Analysis

The 3rd annual Women's North American Pinball Championship (WNACS) took place in Lyons, Colorado, attracting 51 players from 4 Canadian provinces, 46 US states, and DC. Emily Reilhan from British Columbia won the championship with a 4-1 finals victory over Paige Peck, earning the titles of 2026 Women's North American Pinball Champion, Canadian Women's National Pinball Champion, and a NIB Stern Pinball machine. The event demonstrated continued growth in the WNACS initiative and featured strong support from local venue and sponsors.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] 51 players from 4 Canadian provinces, 46 US states, and DC competed in the 3rd annual WNACS — _IFPA official recap, opening statement_
- [HIGH] Emily Reilhan won the championship with a 4-1 victory over Paige Peck in the finals — _IFPA official recap, championship results_
- [HIGH] Emily Reilhan earned both 2026 Women's North American Pinball Champion and Canadian Women's National Pinball Champion titles — _IFPA official recap, title announcements_
- [HIGH] Paige Peck earned 2026 US Women's National Pinball Champion as the highest-finishing US state player — _IFPA official recap, secondary championship designation_
- [MEDIUM] The WNACS marks another year of growth for the Women's North American Championship Series initiative — _IFPA official recap, qualitative assessment of event trajectory_

### Notable Quotes

> "Coming in as the 5th seed, she played some incredible pinball and prevailed in the single-elimination, best-of-7 bracket, ending with a 4-1 win against Paige Peck in the finals."
> — **IFPA**, N/A
> _Highlights Emily Reilhan's upset victory from 5th seed position in championship finals_

> "Congratulations to our 2026 Women's North American Pinball Champion and Canadian Women's National Pinball Champion, Emily Reilhan from British Columbia."
> — **IFPA**, N/A
> _Official championship announcement and dual title recognition_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Emily Reilhan | person | 2026 Women's North American Pinball Champion and Canadian Women's National Pinball Champion, competed as 5th seed, from British Columbia |
| Paige Peck | person | 2026 US Women's National Pinball Champion, runner-up in WNACS finals, from Utah |
| Ashley Weaver | person | 3rd place finisher at 2025-26 WNACS |
| Kassidy Milanowski | person | 4th place finisher at 2025-26 WNACS |
| Gordon Brown | person | Videographer for the 2025-26 WNACS event |
| Brittanie Stepp | person | Photographer at 2025-26 WNACS, from Stepp Above Photography |
| Women's North American Pinball Championship (WNACS) | event | 3rd annual event held in Lyons, Colorado on a Friday in 2025-26 season; part of IFPA championship series |
| Lyons Classic Pinball | venue | Host venue for 2025-26 WNACS in Lyons, Colorado; organized 3 side tournaments |
| Stern Pinball | company | Sponsored championship prize of NIB (new-in-box) pinball machine for winner |
| Comet Pinball | company | Sponsor of players' lounge at 2025-26 WNACS with snacks, drinks, and relaxation space |
| IFPA | organization | International Federation of Pinball Associations; organizer of WNACS and official event recap publisher |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Women's North American Pinball Championship (WNACS), Championship tournament results and winners
- **Secondary:** Competitive pinball growth and participation, Women in pinball community development, Venue and sponsor support for competitive pinball events

### Sentiment

**Neutral** (0)

### Signals

- **[competitive_signal]** 2025-26 WNACS championship decided by Emily Reilhan (BC) defeating Paige Peck (UT) 4-1 in best-of-7 finals (confidence: high) — Final match score and championship outcome official from IFPA
- **[competitive_signal]** WNACS demonstrates continued growth in participation and international representation (3rd year running, 51 players from multiple countries) (confidence: high) — IFPA statement: '3rd annual' event marking 'another year of growth for the Women's North American Championship Series initiative'
- **[community_signal]** WNACS represents sustained initiative to support and grow women's participation in competitive pinball (confidence: high) — Dedicated championship with international participation, national titles for women, and institutional IFPA support
- **[event_signal]** WNACS 2025-26 held in Lyons, Colorado with high-quality production including side tournaments and professional videography/photography (confidence: high) — Event hosted 51 international competitors, 3 side tournaments, professional videographer (Gordon Brown) and photographer (Brittanie Stepp)
- **[product_launch]** Stern Pinball provided NIB machine as championship prize for WNACS winner (confidence: high) — IFPA recap states Emily Reilhan won 'a NIB pinball machine from Stern Pinball' as championship prize

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## Transcript

This past Friday, 51 players from 4 Canadian provinces, 46 US states, and the District of Columbia gathered in Lyons, Colorado, to compete in the 3rd annual Women’s North American Pinball Championship. Held at Lyons Classic Pinball, the event marked another year of growth for the Women’s North American Championship Series initiative. Congratulations to our 2026 Women’s North American Pinball Champion and Canadian Women’s National Pinball Champion, Emily Reilhan from British Columbia. Coming in as the 5th seed, she played some incredible pinball and prevailed in the single-elimination, best-of-7 bracket, ending with a 4-1 win against Paige Peck in the finals. Along with the championship titles, Emily won a NIB pinball machine from Stern Pinball. Congratulations as well to Paige Peck from Utah for her stellar play across the championship. As the highest finisher of any US state, she is our 2026 US Women’s National Pinball Champion. Joining Emily and Paige in the top 4 were Ashley Weaver and Kassidy Milanowski, who took 3rd and 4th place respectively. Our thanks to all the competitors for coming out to support the event. Massive thanks as well to the whole team at Lyons Classic PInball for hosting such a high-quality championship, including 3 great side tournaments. We’re also grateful to Gordon Brown for videography and to Comet Pinball for sponsoring this year’s players’ lounge with plenty of snacks and drinks and a cozy space for players to relax. Check out photos from the event, courtesy of the fantastic Brittanie Stepp of Stepp Above Photography.

_(Acquisition: web_scrape, Enrichment: v4)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: c4960d15-566a-43a5-919b-213cc8c2d958*