It's Time to Get Your Ballroom Squad Together - DWTS: The Next Pro Fantasy Leagues Are Open
Grab your dancing shoes (or at least your remote): a brand-new Dancing with the Stars spinoff is headed to ABC, and it's time to get a fantasy league going. Whether you're a longtime Commissioner or you've never picked up a bracket in your life, there's a spot for you.
Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro premieres July 13, 2026 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC, with episodes hitting Hulu the following day. The premise: one lucky standout will earn a spot as a new professional dancer in the DWTS ballroom, and your job is to spot them before anyone else does.
Never Played? Here's How to Jump In
Starting a league takes minutes: download the Bracketology app, create a league, name it, and start inviting people. No experience necessary. The games are built to be easy to pick up, and your first season is a great time to learn the ropes.
Already have a group chat that debates every episode? That's basically a league waiting to happen.
Played Before? Your League Is Ready for You
If you ran a DWTS fantasy league in a previous season, good news: it's been automatically reactivated for The Next Pro, so there's no rebuilding from scratch. Everyone who joined last time is still a member; they just need to log back into the Bracketology app.
Either way, with the premiere two weeks out, now's the moment to:
- Round up your crew, returning or brand new. A quick invite goes a long way.
- Recruit new blood. More players, more chaos, more fun.
- Freshen things up. Head to League Settings (that three-dot menu in the upper right corner of your league) to update your league name and photo for the new season.
How the Fantasy Games Actually Work
Bracketology gives you a few different ways to play DWTS: The Next Pro, and you're not limited to just one:
First Impression: A one-time, season-long bracket. Predict which of the 12 competing professional dancers survive each round and ultimately lock in your Winner Pick for who lands the pro spot, at the beginning of the season. Set it and watch it play out.
Week to Week: Every dancer starts in your lineup. Each week, you decide who to drop based on who you think is getting eliminated, scoring points for every correct call.
Confidence Pool: Rank the dancers by how sure you are they'll survive the next elimination. Nail your high-confidence picks for bigger points, but a surprise elimination will cost you.
Picks lock the moment the live episode starts on the East Coast, so lineups need to be set before 8 p.m. ET each week. You can adjust your roster for Week to Week and Confidence Pool right up until then; First Impression locks once at the start of the season and stays that way. Miss a deadline? Your league Commissioner can reopen picks for that episode, so it's worth a quick message if you got shut out.
Best part: it's all free to play.
Get Your League Ready
- Get the Bracketology app. New here? Create a league in a couple of taps. Returning? Your league and members are already waiting.
- Set up (or freshen up) your league details in Settings so it's ready for The Next Pro era.
- Invite your people. Tag and follow @bracketology.tv on social, give your league a shoutout, and we'll help you spread the word.
- Set your picks before the July 13 premiere so you're not scrambling week one.
Whether you're chasing the mirrorball with a weekly elimination-style game or locking in a season-long First Impression bracket, the goal is the same: figure out who's got the moves to become the next DWTS pro before your league does. New player or old pro, the ballroom's got room for everyone.
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