The 42nd Cleveland Challenge Cup of Bocce, sponsored by Formica Plumbing & Sewer Co., will host 120 teams – 104 Open Division and 16 Women’s Division – and showcase world-class bocce players from across the United States and Canada, including Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Florida, California and more, all vying for over $34,000 in prize money.
This premier bocce tournament will take place Friday, August 28, Saturday, August 29, and Sunday, August 30, 2026, at the Wickliffe Italian-American Club, located at 29717 Euclid Avenue in Wickliffe, Ohio. Admission, parking and entertainment are all free for everyone attending this exciting event.
Last year’s Open Division champion, CPF Home Inspections from Chesterland, Ohio, captured its second CCCoB title – 2023 and 2025 – while Women’s Division winner Dirty 30 from Warren, Ohio, completed a three-peat championship in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Both teams return in 2026 to defend their titles against fierce competition.
Opening ceremonies will begin at 3:45 p.m. on Friday, August 28, and will feature prerecorded national anthems of the United States, Italy and Canada performed by Giovanni Castiglione of Solon, Ohio. The tournament will commence immediately after the ceremonies and continue nonstop through Sunday evening on the club’s nine covered bocce courts.
Follow the tournament
Stay connected with the Cleveland Challenge Cup of Bocce on Facebook and Instagram at @wickliffeianda. Watch live tournament coverage through the Scoreholio app and on the Wickliffe Italian-American Club YouTube channel.
Complete event information and schedules are available at www.wickliffeianda.com.
For media inquiries, interviews, credentials or high-resolution photographs, contact Luciano DeSensi at 440-373-7942 or [email protected].
Entertainment and festivities
Entertainment and festivities will run all weekend long in the covered pavilion, with the main stage sponsored by Khash Saghafi – Liberty Home Mortgage.
Friday night will feature live music by Soul Shake & The Eastside Horns, kicking off the weekend in style. On Saturday afternoon, from noon to 3 p.m., guests can enjoy cultural activities, followed by a live performance by local favorite The Band Intense on Saturday night.
Sunday is Family Day, filled with entertainment for all ages, including a magic show by Rick Smith Jr. and an appearance by Jungle Terry & Friends. Throughout the weekend, guests can savor homemade Italian specialties, traditional American favorites from local food vendors and drinks from the fully stocked bar.
2026 schedule of events
Free admission, parking and entertainment.
Friday, August 28
3:45 p.m. – Opening ceremonies and national anthems prerecorded by Giovanni Castiglione
4 p.m. – Bocce tournament play begins, Open Division
7–11 p.m. – Live music by Soul Shake & The Eastside Horns
Saturday, August 29
8 a.m. – Bocce tournament play resumes, Open and Women’s divisions
Noon–3 p.m. – Vagabond Club Boys Band
Noon–3 p.m. – Cooking demonstration by Chef Dan of the Euclid Culinary School
Noon–4 p.m. – Western Reserve Historical Society photo display on the history of Italians in Cleveland, inside the clubhouse
3:30–5 p.m. – Grant Elsing
7–11 p.m. – Live music by The Band Intense
Sunday, August 30
8 a.m. – Tournament play resumes, Open and Women’s divisions
2:15–3 p.m. – Magic show with Rick Smith Jr.
3–4 p.m. – Jungle Terry & Friends Exotic Animal Show
Approximately 4 p.m. – Women’s Division Championship
Approximately 6 p.m. – Open Division Championship
This event is funded in part through a generous grant from the Lake County Visitors Bureau.
About the Wickliffe Italian-American Club
The Wickliffe Italian-American Club is a community-based social and fraternal organization established in 1932 and recognized by the State of Ohio in 1933. It serves people of Italian ancestry who live in and around Wickliffe, Ohio, a suburb east of Cleveland.
The club actively promotes and recognizes people of Italian descent who have furthered their shared Italian cultural bond. Each year, it also awards college scholarships to students who have achieved academic excellence and demonstrated knowledge of and pride in their Italian heritage.
The Cleveland Challenge Cup of Bocce Tournament is now in its 42nd year. It has grown from 16 teams to more than 100 teams in recent years, selling out in 2026 after achieving record-breaking attendance in 2025. It is currently one of the largest bocce tournaments in the country.
