Some of the world’s best cornhole players are once again making their way to Owensboro as the American Cornhole Organization (ACO) returns to town for its 21st World Championships event. From July 20-25, the Owensboro Convention Center will welcome competitors, families, and fans from more than 25 states for championship competition, special events, and community celebration.
Since 2005, the ACO has served as the official governing body of cornhole, and organizers say its long-standing partnership with Owensboro has helped establish the city as one of the sport’s premier destinations. Over the past decade, the relationship has produced ACO World Championships, Super Major events, Pro Series tournaments, and Kentucky State Championships.
“It is absolutely no secret that Owensboro, affectionately known to those in the ACO Family as ‘ThrOwensboro,’ is one of our favorite destinations each year on the schedule,” Frank Geers, ACO Founder and President, said. “The opportunity to return for another world championship competition and party is one that we have celebrated very often in the past and hope to do so long into the future. We think of Owensboro as our ‘ACO Cornhole home-away-from-home,’ so I suppose the Season 21 World Championships could be considered an ‘ACOhome-away-from-homecoming.”
ACO returns to Owensboro for the third time this calendar year following the ACO Super Major being held in the Convention Center in January, along with ACO Kentucky State Championships being held last month at the Sportscenter. The 2023 and 2024 editions of the ACO World Championships of Conrhole have previously been held in Owensboro.
Many of the ACO competitors begin arriving for internal competition and social events during the weekend of July 17-19, with official competition beginning on July 20 with the State Slyder Cup competitions and a welcome party before championship play officially gets underway on Tuesday.
Primary divisional competition runs Tuesday through Saturday inside the Owensboro Convention Center, featuring men’s, women’s, seniors’, juniors ‘, doubles ‘, singles ‘, and championship brackets throughout the week.
Fans will also find nonstop action with the popular Tailgator division, where eight buy-in tournaments will be held each day Tuesday through Friday, giving players of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for prizes and qualify for Saturday’s exclusive Tailgator Championship. The week also includes Pro Series events, awards ceremonies, championship matches, and numerous social activities that bring together the entire ACO community.
“Having ACO return for their World Championships of Cornhole is such a great honor for this community and truly highlights Owensboro as a leading sports destination,” Lucas Daunhauer of Visit Owensboro said. “Our local partners have helped culminate a great relationship with the American Cornhole Organization, which keeps their great events coming back to our community. Having so many of these professional athletes in our community for over a week allows them to enjoy all that Owensboro has to offer.”
Championship Saturday will serve as the culmination of the week, highlighted by the Tailgator Championship, Opening Ceremony, World Singles Finals, and the celebration of ACO World Cornhole Day.
