Worlds 2026 Friday: Grade 2 qualifiers form a 12-band Saturday final; Watson’s World Juvenile Champions

Glasgow – August 14, 2026 – The first day of the 2026 World Pipe Band Championships enjoyed near-perfect weather: partly sunny, breezy, a high of about 20°C, and, best of all, no rain.

The 13 Grade 1 bands competed in a four-part MSR contest and an own-choice Medley event, the results kept under lock and key, to be compiled with the equivalent contests on Saturday to produce a final result.

Listeners were treated to several spectacular performances, particularly in the Medley event, suggesting the big prize could go to any one of five or even six bands.

• Bagad Cap Caval (Brittany)
• Buchan Peterson (Scotland)
• Bucksburn & District (Scotland)
• Cascadia (USA)
• Celtic (Nelson) (New Zealand)
• Johnstone (Scotland)
• North Stratton (Canada)
• Pipe Band Club (Australia)
• Royal Burgh of Annan (Scotland)
• TEXO Deeside Caledonia (Scotland)
• Uddingston (Scotland)
• Ulster Scottish (USA)

For the first time in decades, a band from Northern Ireland will not compete in the Grade 2 final.

A surprise to many was that Florida’s City of Dunedin did not qualify for the Grade 2 Final. While most known results from the various Friday events showed consistency in ranking between piping and judges, the band had a 6th and an 11th in piping in their heat, an unusual five-place spread that contributed to the band’s seventh place overall, just out of the top six and a spot in the Grade 2 Final.

City of Dunedin finished second in Grade 2 at last year’s World Championships.

Juveniles: George Watson’s College, North Lanarkshire Schools, St. Thomas Episcopal School win the trophies

The various Juvenile grades were run in heats and finals. The Glasgow Green grounds were buzzing with kids’ bands and their top-grade instructors prepping for their events, the perimeter lined with custom band tents and marquees.

Juvenile
1st George Watson’s College (Scotland) (1,1,1,1)
2nd Dollar Academy (Scotland) (2,2,3,2)
3rd St Andrew’s College (New Zealand) (3,4,2,3)
4th George Heriot’s School (Scotland) (4,5,4,5)
5th Preston Lodge High School (Scotland) (7,3,5,4)
6th Lochgelly High School (Scotland) (6,7,6,6) (ens.pref.)
7th West Lothian Schools (Scotland) (5,6,7,7)
Judges: David Hilder, Ian Bowden (piping); Brian Martin (drumming); Paul Brown (ensemble)

Novice Juvenile A
1st North Lanarkshire Schools (Scotland) (1,1,2,2)
2nd George Watson’s College (Scotland) (4,3,1,1)
3rd Renfrewshire Schools (Scotland) (2,4,3,3)
4th St. Columba’s School Kilmacolm (Scotland) (3,2,8,7)
5th Oban High School (Scotland) (5,6,4,6)
6th Lochgelly High School Junior (Scotland) (10,7,6,4)
7th Dollar Academy (Scotland) (8,11,5,5) (ens.pref.)
8th High School of Dundee (Scotland) (7,5,7,10)
9th Preston Lodge High School (Scotland) (6,8,11,8)
10th George Heriot’s School (Scotland) (9,9,10,9)
11th Falkirk Schools (Scotland) (11,10,9,11)
Judges: Ronnie McShannon, Alvis Kerr (piping); Jim Baxter (drumming); Peter Snaddon (ensemble)

Novice Juvenile B
Final
1st St. Thomas Episcopal School (USA) (1,1,1,1)
2nd Stirling & District Schools Junior (Scotland) (2,2,2,2)
3rd Dollar Academy (Scotland) (5,6,3,4)
4th Scotch College No. 2 (Australia) (6,5,5,3)
5th North Lanarkshire Schools (Scotland) (4,4,7,7)
6th Kintyre Schools (Scotland) (3,3,9,8)
7th Isle of Arran Music School (Scotland) (7,7,6,5)
8th Burntisland & District (Scotland) (8,8,4,6)
9th Edinburgh Academy (Scotland) (9,9,12,9)
10th Bucksburn & District Novice (Scotland) (10,10,11,11) (ens.pref.)
11th Renfrewshire Schools Development (Scotland) (11,11,8,12)
12th Preston Lodge (Scotland) (12,12,10,10)
Judges: Thomas Brown, John Reville (piping); Keith Orr (drumming); Maurice Rhodes (ensemble)

Qualifying Heat 1
1st Kintyre Schools (Scotland) (1,1,6,2)
2nd St Thomas Episcopal School (USA) (5,6,1,1)
3rd Stirling & District Schools Junior (Scotland) (6,4,3,3)
4th Preston Lodge (Scotland) (2,2,9,4)
5th Oban High School (Scotland) (3,5,4,7)
6th Comhlan Pioba Sgoil Bhagh a’ Chaisteil (Scotland) (7,7,2,5) (ens.pref.)
7th St. Columba’s School Kilmacolm (Scotland) (4,3,8,6)
8th Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia (Scotland) (8,9,5,9)
9th High School of Dundee (Scotland) (9,8,7,8)
Judges: Ronnie McShannon, Alvis Kerr (piping); Jim Baxter (drumming); Peter Snaddon (ensemble)

Qualifying Heat 2
1st Scotch College No. 2 (Australia) (1,1,1,1)
2nd Dollar Academy (Scotland) (2,2,4,2)
3rd Burntisland & District (Scotland) (4,5,5,3)
4th Renfrewshire Schools Development (Scotland) (3,3,7,5)
5th Balerno & District Schools (Scotland) (6,6,2,6)
6th West Lothian Schools (Scotland) (5,4,8,4)
7th Hutchesons’ Grammar School (Scotland) (9,9,3,7)
8th Tynecastle Youth Community (Scotland) (8,7,6,8)
9th Falkirk Schools ’25 (Scotland) (7,8,9,9)
Judges: David Hilder, Ian Bowden (piping); Brian Martin (drumming); Paul Brown (ensemble).

Qualifying Heat 3
1st Edinburgh Academy (Scotland) (1,1,4,1)
2nd North Lanarkshire Schools (Scotland) (4,3,2,2)
3rd Bucksburn & District Novice (Scotland) (3,4,3,4)
4th Isle of Arran Music School (Scotland) (2,2,5,5)
5th Glasgow Academy (Scotland) (7,5,1,3)
6th Dunoon Grammar School (Scotland) (6,7,6,6)
7th Rothesay & District Novice Juvenile (Scotland) (5,6,7,7)
8th 47th Culter Boys Brigade (Scotland) (10,10,8,8)
9th Glasgow Schools (Scotland) (9,8,10,9)
10th Gordon’s School (Scotland) (8,9,9,10)
Judges: Shaunna Hilder, Iain Simpson (piping); Paul Turner (drumming); Bob Worrall (ensemble)