DESTINATION PAINTBALL - Cairns

PSFA Queensland State of Origin Challenge 2026

Southside Paintball, Cairns, Queensland | Saturday 15 August 2026

M500 • 4 v 4 • Best-of-Five Tournament

The PSFA Queensland State of Origin Challenge 2026 brought players together in Cairns for a full weekend of competitive paintball, great sportsmanship and the social atmosphere that makes these events special.

Six teams took part in the tournament: Blood Eagles, Chaos, Rangers, Fury, Blade and Raw. A late team withdrawal required some last-minute player reshuffling, but the competition went ahead smoothly in a four-player format using the M500 rule-set, with each player allocated 500 rounds for the game.

A Full Weekend in Cairns

The event crew arrived on Thursday, with Thursday and Friday dedicated to setting up the field and preparing for competition. Saturday delivered ideal conditions and the entire preliminary competition and finals were completed in a single day, running from approximately 9:00 am through to 4:00 pm. The relaxed timetable gave players plenty of paintball without turning the day into a marathon.

Reffing was handled by Doc and Philip Worthing. With limited referee numbers available, the event used a practical blend of old-school paintball rules and NXL-style tournament rules. A special shout-out goes to Doc for an outstanding job throughout the day. The format worked well, the event ran cleanly, and feedback from the players was overwhelmingly positive.

Tournament Results

Placing Team

1st Chaos

2nd Fury

3rd Blood Eagles

4th Blade

5th Raw

6th Rangers

Chaos took the tournament win over Fury in the final, with Blood Eagles securing third place.

The Main Event: State of Origin - Queensland v New South Wales

The highlight of Saturday was the State of Origin showdown between Queensland and New South Wales. Seven selected Queensland players faced six selected New South Wales players in a 15-minute, best-of-seven contest.

The match delivered exactly the sort of drama expected from State of Origin. New South Wales appeared to have taken a crucial game, but the flag hanger was found to have a hit on his body. The call was reversed, bringing the two sides back level and setting up a deciding game.

Queensland held their nerve in the decider and claimed the 2026 Queensland State of Origin victory.

With New South Wales having won the previous State of Origin encounter, the series now stands at one win apiece - setting up a genuine rivalry for the next meeting.

Growing the PSFA Community

The weekend was also a strong result for the growth of the PSFA, with approximately 20 new members joining around the event. Keeping tournament paintball accessible remains important, and the event cost was approximately $270 per player, excluding travel and accommodation - a strong result for a full competitive tournament experience.

More Than Just the Paintball

After the competition wrapped up, players and organisers headed into Cairns to celebrate Bones from Blade's birthday. It was a great chance for everyone to have a few beers, catch up away from the field and enjoy the social side of the paintball community.

On Sunday, the crew returned to Southside Paintball to pull the field down, clean the barricades and pack everything back into the trailer - officially bringing a fantastic Queensland weekend to a close.

Thank You to Our Event Supporters

Events like this rely on businesses, organisations and volunteers getting behind the players. The PSFA sincerely thanks:

Hot Shots Paintball - for supplying the paint.

Townsville Paintball - for supplying the air.

Qualitech Drafting & Design - for providing the State of Origin jerseys + Funding the Paint

Paintball Sports Federation Australia (PSFA) - for supporting and helping deliver the event.

Southside Paintball - for supplying the Cairns venue and hosting the weekend.

Bring on the Decider

From the field setup and tournament competition through to the State of Origin decider and the weekend's social side, Cairns delivered a memorable event. Congratulations to Chaos on the tournament victory, Queensland on taking the State of Origin win, and every player, referee, volunteer and supporter who helped make the weekend happen.

NSW 1 - QLD 1. Bring on the next State of Origin.

PSFA • Queensland State of Origin Challenge 2026

NSW - Eagles QLD - Bulls

Philip Worthing Thomas Old

Shaun Cambell Dan Lampard

Chace Tiller Craig Wire

Joshua Berdon Danial Blue

Brandon Mccurdie Donald West

Michael Worthing Mykee Pavlovic

Mikakle Cooke

Jacob Hardy