Team USA's Brandolino advances to round of 32 at IBF World Cup in Germany
October 16, 2026
Team USA's Gianna Brandolino (far left) poses on the approach at Max Munich Bowling – Brunnthal in Germany on Friday after winning her pool to advance to the round of 32 in Women's Singles at the 2026 IBF World Cup. Also advancing in Group B - Pool 1 were (from left to right) Louna Martin Ponsoda of Spain, Malaysia's Adelia Nur Irwan Syazalee and Celia Jeanne Delafosse of France.
FULL RESULTS
ARLINGTON, Texas – Gianna Brandolino continued to make the most of her Team USA debut Friday, winning five of six matches to finish atop her pool and advance to the Women’s Singles round of 32 at the 2026 International Bowling Federation World Cup in Germany.
The 19-year-old right-hander from Channahon, Illinois, who is competing as an adult for the first time after multiple stints representing Junior Team USA, won matches with scores of 217, 210, 223, 247 and 188 at Max Munich Bowling – Brunnthal on Friday.
That performance, combined with a 6-1 effort on Day 1, allowed Brandolino to finish Women’s Singles qualifying with a two-day, 13-game record of 11-2, an average of 205.2 and 33 points, which was good enough for first place in Group B – Pool 1.
Each victory in the head-to-head match-play format is worth three points, while ties award each athlete one point.
Malaysia’s Adelia Nur Irwan Syazalee (10-3; 190.9 average) finished second to Brandolino in the 12-player pool with 30 points, while Celia Jeanne Delafosse of France (9-4; 179.8 average) and Spain’s Louna Martin Ponsoda (9-4; 165 average) ended qualifying with 27 points each and finished in third and fourth place, respectively.
American Jordan Snodgrass also was looking to punch her ticket to the Women’s Singles bracket on Friday; unfortunately, the 30-year-old right-hander from Adrian, Michigan, was unable to get any momentum going, posting a 3-3 record to end qualifying in seventh place in Group A – Pool 2 with 21 points, which she arrived at thanks to a 7-6 match-play record and 186.3 average.
In all, 32 athletes will advance and earn spots in the Women’s Singles round of 32. Athletes in Groups A and B have finished qualifying, while those competing in Groups C and D will complete their final six games of Round 1 in Munich on Saturday.
Team USA’s Shannon Pluhowsky of Dayton, Ohio, and Jillian Martin of Stow, Ohio, will be among the athletes wrapping up Women’s Singles qualifying on Saturday.
The current standings are as follows:
Group A – Pool 1
In the men’s division for singles, each competitor is placed in a 12-player pool for 11 games of match play. Each victory in the head-to-head format is worth three points, while ties award each athlete one point.
Each of the four groups (A, B, C and D) in Men’s Singles features four pools (1, 2, 3 and 4), and the top two in points from each pool earn a spot in the 32-player men’s bracket.
Via put together a solid performance on the 44-foot World Cup oil pattern on Friday, breaking the 200 mark six times (201, 211, 215, 221, 223 and 256) en route to a 204.4 average; unfortunately, match victories were hard to come by, causing Via to finish the day with a 6-5 record, which earned him 18 points and fifth place in Men’s Singles Group C – Pool 3.
Team USA’s Andrew Anderson of Holly, Michigan, and Packy Hanrahan of Wichita, Kansas, completed their qualifying blocks on Wednesday, but both athletes were unable to advance to the next round as Hanrahan (8-3; 210.5 average) finished third in Group B – Pool 2 with 24 points, while Anderson (7-4; 197.9 average) was fourth in Group A – Pool 4 with 21 points.
With Anderson, Hanrahan and Via eliminated, the American squad’s remaining bid for a Men’s Singles advancer lies with Ryan Barnes of Denton, Texas, who will complete his 11-game block of singles qualifying on Saturday morning.
Barnes will look to punch his ticket on the men’s side while Pluhowsky and Martin attempt to join Brandolino in the next round for the women.
Brandolino is certainly pleased with her performance thus far; nevertheless, she knows that it will take several more victories to reach the Women’s Singles podium.
“I’m trying to celebrate the little things, but I can’t get ahead of myself because there’s still more work to do,” Brandolino said. “Still, I’m excited.”
According to Brandolino, her qualifying success can be attributed to applying what she’s learned from previous competitions and the comfort of having her teammates behind her.
“I’ve been trying to use everything I’ve learned from traveling overseas with Junior Team USA, and that has allowed me to execute how I need to and find some success,” Brandolino said. “Also, it’s super exciting and fun to compete while my teammates are watching and cheering for me the whole time. It’s fun to see each teammate’s personality come out with how we support one another.”
The feeling was mutual as Martin enjoyed having a front-row seat for Brandolino’s stellar Friday performance.
“Gianna (Brandolino) and I have gotten to compete a lot together over the years, so to see her have so much success so far in singles has been absolutely incredible,” Martin said. “She’s making really great shots, and her physical and mental game are in an awesome spot. It’s been fun to watch.”
At the conclusion of Saturday’s rounds, both the men’s and women’s brackets will be set for singles. Sunday’s schedule will feature each round in the single-elimination bracket until the top two athletes in each division emerge and bowl for the title. Each round will feature a best-of-three format.
The focus will then switch to team competition Monday in Munich, with four groups in the men’s division and two groups on the women’s side.
Similar to the singles portion of the event, each team in the men’s division will bowl 11 matches against the other countries in their group. The women’s division will feature 13 matches in each group. These contests will take place across Monday and Tuesday.
Each match during these blocks will implement the Baker format and be conducted as a best-of-three contest. Countries will be awarded three points for every victory.
The top four teams in each group on the men’s side and top eight from each group in the women’s division will advance to their respective 16-team bracket.
The final day of competition during the 2026 World Cup will be Oct. 21, as all advancing teams look to navigate their way through the single-elimination bracket to take home the coveted win.
All bracket matches will feature a best-of-five Baker format to determine the winner.
Malaysia enters this year’s event as the defending team champion in the men’s division, while the United States is looking for back-to-back titles on the women’s side at the World Cup. The group representing Team USA during the 2024 event in Hong Kong included Martin, Pluhowsky, Bryanna Coté of Tucson, Arizona, and Lauren Russo of Ballwin, Missouri.
CLICK HERE for more information on Team USA.
FULL RESULTS
ARLINGTON, Texas – Gianna Brandolino continued to make the most of her Team USA debut Friday, winning five of six matches to finish atop her pool and advance to the Women’s Singles round of 32 at the 2026 International Bowling Federation World Cup in Germany.
The 19-year-old right-hander from Channahon, Illinois, who is competing as an adult for the first time after multiple stints representing Junior Team USA, won matches with scores of 217, 210, 223, 247 and 188 at Max Munich Bowling – Brunnthal on Friday.
That performance, combined with a 6-1 effort on Day 1, allowed Brandolino to finish Women’s Singles qualifying with a two-day, 13-game record of 11-2, an average of 205.2 and 33 points, which was good enough for first place in Group B – Pool 1.
Each victory in the head-to-head match-play format is worth three points, while ties award each athlete one point.
Malaysia’s Adelia Nur Irwan Syazalee (10-3; 190.9 average) finished second to Brandolino in the 12-player pool with 30 points, while Celia Jeanne Delafosse of France (9-4; 179.8 average) and Spain’s Louna Martin Ponsoda (9-4; 165 average) ended qualifying with 27 points each and finished in third and fourth place, respectively.
American Jordan Snodgrass also was looking to punch her ticket to the Women’s Singles bracket on Friday; unfortunately, the 30-year-old right-hander from Adrian, Michigan, was unable to get any momentum going, posting a 3-3 record to end qualifying in seventh place in Group A – Pool 2 with 21 points, which she arrived at thanks to a 7-6 match-play record and 186.3 average.
In all, 32 athletes will advance and earn spots in the Women’s Singles round of 32. Athletes in Groups A and B have finished qualifying, while those competing in Groups C and D will complete their final six games of Round 1 in Munich on Saturday.
Team USA’s Shannon Pluhowsky of Dayton, Ohio, and Jillian Martin of Stow, Ohio, will be among the athletes wrapping up Women’s Singles qualifying on Saturday.
The current standings are as follows:
Group A – Pool 1
- Manon Clement, France, 33 points
- Samantha Clifton, Australia, 33 points
- Daria Pajak, Poland, 30 points
- Megan Dicay, Denmark, 27 points
- Shayna Ng, Singapore, 33 points
- Victoria Johansson, Sweden, 31 points
- Rui Peng, China, 30 points
- Nur Hazirah Ramli, Malaysia, 30 points
Group B – Pool 1
- Gianna Brandolino, United States, 33 points
- Adelia Nur Irwan Syazalee, Malaysia, 30 points
- Celia Jeanne Delafosse, France, 27 points
- Louna Martin Ponsoda, Spain, 27 points
Group B – Pool 2
- Hui Fen New, Singapore, 30 points
- Samantha Greiner, Netherlands, 27 points
- Ottilia Gunnarson, Sweden, 27 points
- Chrysoula-Anna Avgerinou, Greece, 25 points
Group C – Pool 1
- Jenny Mathiesen, Norway, 18 points
- Patricia Beatriz Ciotti Ettari, Spain, 16 points
- Emma Friant, France, 15 points
- Dena Buxton, Australia, 15 points
Group C – Pool 2
- Anna Andersson, Sweden, 18 points
- Krizziah Lyn Macatula, Philippines, 18 points
- Nadine Meier, Germany, 15 points
- Georgia Sagona, Greece, 15 points
Group D – Pool 1
- Karen Kaergaard Nielsen, Denmark, 21 points
- Shannon Pluhowsky, United States, 21 points
- Danielle Escolano, Philippines, 15 points
- Brianna Walsh, Australia, 15 points
Group D – Pool 2
- Li Jane Sin, Malaysia, 21 points
- Cherie Tan, Singapore, 18 points
- Nora Johansson, Sweden, 15 points
- Jiping Fang, China, 15 points
In the men’s division for singles, each competitor is placed in a 12-player pool for 11 games of match play. Each victory in the head-to-head format is worth three points, while ties award each athlete one point.
Each of the four groups (A, B, C and D) in Men’s Singles features four pools (1, 2, 3 and 4), and the top two in points from each pool earn a spot in the 32-player men’s bracket.
Via put together a solid performance on the 44-foot World Cup oil pattern on Friday, breaking the 200 mark six times (201, 211, 215, 221, 223 and 256) en route to a 204.4 average; unfortunately, match victories were hard to come by, causing Via to finish the day with a 6-5 record, which earned him 18 points and fifth place in Men’s Singles Group C – Pool 3.
Team USA’s Andrew Anderson of Holly, Michigan, and Packy Hanrahan of Wichita, Kansas, completed their qualifying blocks on Wednesday, but both athletes were unable to advance to the next round as Hanrahan (8-3; 210.5 average) finished third in Group B – Pool 2 with 24 points, while Anderson (7-4; 197.9 average) was fourth in Group A – Pool 4 with 21 points.
With Anderson, Hanrahan and Via eliminated, the American squad’s remaining bid for a Men’s Singles advancer lies with Ryan Barnes of Denton, Texas, who will complete his 11-game block of singles qualifying on Saturday morning.
Barnes will look to punch his ticket on the men’s side while Pluhowsky and Martin attempt to join Brandolino in the next round for the women.
Brandolino is certainly pleased with her performance thus far; nevertheless, she knows that it will take several more victories to reach the Women’s Singles podium.
“I’m trying to celebrate the little things, but I can’t get ahead of myself because there’s still more work to do,” Brandolino said. “Still, I’m excited.”
According to Brandolino, her qualifying success can be attributed to applying what she’s learned from previous competitions and the comfort of having her teammates behind her.
“I’ve been trying to use everything I’ve learned from traveling overseas with Junior Team USA, and that has allowed me to execute how I need to and find some success,” Brandolino said. “Also, it’s super exciting and fun to compete while my teammates are watching and cheering for me the whole time. It’s fun to see each teammate’s personality come out with how we support one another.”
The feeling was mutual as Martin enjoyed having a front-row seat for Brandolino’s stellar Friday performance.
“Gianna (Brandolino) and I have gotten to compete a lot together over the years, so to see her have so much success so far in singles has been absolutely incredible,” Martin said. “She’s making really great shots, and her physical and mental game are in an awesome spot. It’s been fun to watch.”
At the conclusion of Saturday’s rounds, both the men’s and women’s brackets will be set for singles. Sunday’s schedule will feature each round in the single-elimination bracket until the top two athletes in each division emerge and bowl for the title. Each round will feature a best-of-three format.
The focus will then switch to team competition Monday in Munich, with four groups in the men’s division and two groups on the women’s side.
Similar to the singles portion of the event, each team in the men’s division will bowl 11 matches against the other countries in their group. The women’s division will feature 13 matches in each group. These contests will take place across Monday and Tuesday.
Each match during these blocks will implement the Baker format and be conducted as a best-of-three contest. Countries will be awarded three points for every victory.
The top four teams in each group on the men’s side and top eight from each group in the women’s division will advance to their respective 16-team bracket.
The final day of competition during the 2026 World Cup will be Oct. 21, as all advancing teams look to navigate their way through the single-elimination bracket to take home the coveted win.
All bracket matches will feature a best-of-five Baker format to determine the winner.
Malaysia enters this year’s event as the defending team champion in the men’s division, while the United States is looking for back-to-back titles on the women’s side at the World Cup. The group representing Team USA during the 2024 event in Hong Kong included Martin, Pluhowsky, Bryanna Coté of Tucson, Arizona, and Lauren Russo of Ballwin, Missouri.
CLICK HERE for more information on Team USA.