Thie first matchup of the 2026 Goeller Cup Playoffs: Quest for the Goeller Cup, was the 3rd-ranked House Bellagio [Period 6] versus the 6th-ranked House Caesars [Period 3]. These two classes have met in two previous playoffs, the 2022 Goeller Cup Final, won by Period 3 "Caesars" and the 2025 semi-final round won by Period 6 "Bellagio" en route to their 2025 championship. House Bellagio eliminated House Caesars by a score of 3-2.

House Caesars entered the playoffs on a downward trend. Despite the class being an average-sized level 1 course, their lack of engagement with the storyline prevented them from ranking amongst the top-half of Houses. They were one of two Houses to harvest a rare yet powerful crystal, Kyberite, during the storyline of Act II, but failed to employ any advantageous uses of the crystal to help their House.

House Bellagio had ranked in the top 2 in the final moments of Act III's storyline but were out-played by House Strat in the final day, causing them to fall to third in the rankings.

Through the first day cycle, Bellagio held a 3-2 series lead, having earned 106 points, an average of 3.09 per student and 93.8% positive rating. Their French score was the lowest of the first day at 5.36%, but they were the only House in the first round to score over 100 points on the first day. Their top leaders average score was 5.67. Conversely, Caesars earned only 48 points on the first day, a 1.55 student average. They also scored a 75.8% positive score, one of the lowest scores in history. Caesar's had 21.5% of their points for French speaking and had a top-leaders score of 8.

After the second day cycle, House Bellagio extended their lead to 4-1, earning 110 points. Their two-day total of 316 points included an average of 9.29 points per student (Unity; versus 6.58) and a 94% positivity rating. They also surpassed House Caesar's advantage in the Voice Trial, increasing their French usage to 19.7% (versus 18.4%). House Caesars' 204 total points was a notable improvement from their first day, particularly increasing their Honor Trial score to 89.5%, but they only held advantage in the Legend trial, 18.33-17.00.

Through three days, House Bellagio maintained a lead that had narrowed to 3-2. Their 469 points was good for 13.79 points per student and a positive score of 94.6%, all three of those categories where they led. Their French usage was at 20.2% with a top-3 average of 26.33. House Caesars earned 353 points, an average of 11.30 per student and a 90.5% positive rating -- a much-improved score for the third-period class. They led Voice with a French score of 29.2% and the Legends trial with a top-3 average of 29.00.

By the fourth day, Bellagio had essentially locked up their first-round series, maintaining a solid 3-2 lead, holding the trials of Might (572-434), Unity (16.82-14.47), and Honor (94.1%-91.0%). House Caesars held leads in Voice (27.6%-16.8%) and Legend (35.33-34.00). While the Voice trial was nearly secured in their favor, Legend was still too close to call entering the final day.

Ending the fifth day, House Bellagio secured their victory, earning a 3-2 win, having secured their three most stable trials. They set a new record in the Trial of Might (most points), earning 740 (versus 613 for Caesars). That was good enough for a 21.76 average in the Unity Trial (Caesars: 20.43), and a 94.99% Honor Trial score (Caesars: 92.32%). House Caesars finished ahead in the Trial of Voice (29.52% versus 16.17%) and the new Legend Trial, with their highest three earners averaging 49.00 points (versus 42.33).

Thie second matchup of the 2026 Goeller Cup Playoffs: Quest for the Goeller Cup, was the 4th-ranked House Stardust versus the 5th-ranked House Fitzgeralds. This is the first-ever playoff meeting between Period 4 and Period 5 class, with House Fitzgeralds (period 4) defeating House Stardust 3-2.

House Stardust (Period 5) was the largest class by roster of 2026 and they largely dominated the regular-season's standings, swapping the lead with House Strat (Per. 7) and consistently ranking as the richest house. They dropped to 4th in the standings when the true rankings were revealed, following the destruction of the leaderboard in the storyline during Act III. 

Conversely, House Fitzgeralds was the smallest rostered class but all House members except one had previously won the Goeller Cup in a previous season. They ranked 6th place for most of the storyline, as the dual-enrollment class did not engage with the storyline in the same was as French level 1 and 2 classes did.

After the first day of competition, Fitzgeralds held a 4-1 lead, outscoring Stardust in all trials except might (total points). They earmed 86 points, an average of 6.14 points, a 93.5% positive rating, 26.1% French usage, and their top earning students averaged 12 points. For House Stardust, their 89 points held a narrow lead in this trial but they trailed in all others: 2.78 average, 89.9% positive, 18.1% French and an 8-point top 3 average.

After two days, House Fitzgerald held steady in four trials: Unity, Honor, Voice, and Legend. Their 176 points earned them an average of 12.57, a positive score of 96.2%, a French usage percentage of 25.1%, and their top three earners averaged 20.33 points. House Stardust notably increased their lead in the Might Trial, with 242 total points. That equals an average of 7.56, a 92.7% positivity, a 14.6% Francophone, and a top 3 average of 15.33. 

House Fitzgeralds held a 3-2 series lead after three days, holding the Trials of Unity (21.43-12.68), Voice (28.4%-25.2%), and Legends (32.33-23.33). House Stardust led Might (393-300) and Honor (95.4%-94.6%).

At the end of day 4, House Stardust took the lead, flipping Voice in their favor (27.4%-26.2%) to snag a 3-2 lead. They also led Might (525-424) and had earned a slight edge in Honor (95.8%-95.7%). House Fitzgeralds had locked up the Unity Trial, leading by more than double the points of House Stardust at 30.29-16.94, and they also held a sizable lead in Legend, at 46.00-34.33.

Closing out the series, House Fitzgeralds retook the lead, earning a 3-2 series win over House Stardust. The dual-enrollmenet class won the Trial of Unity, averaging 35.36 points (compared to 22.13 for Stardust), the Trial of Voice, with 28.02% (versus 24.78%), and a record-setting performance with a new highest-student record, 77 points, to help bring the Trial of Legend score to an average of 57.00 (against 41.33). House Stardust won the Trials of Might (664-495) and Honor (95.68% versus 95.01%). The 664 points earned by House Stardust would have been record-setting, had they not been out-scored by House Bellagio in the opening round of the playoffs.

Top-ranked House Sahara met fifth-ranked House Fitzgeralds for their first matchup of the 2026 Quest for the Goeller Cup (Goeller Cup Playoffs). This was the third all-time meeting between Periods 4 and 8, with House Fitzgeralds (Period 4) winning both prior match ups, the 2023 and 2025 first rounds, by 3-2 scores. House Fitzgeralds made their third total and second consecutive appearance in the final-four after defeating House Stardust in the opening round. It was also the third final-four appearance for House Sahara, having previously advanced to the semi-final round in 2017 and 2024.

Sahara was favored to win the series due to their larger class size and ability to run-up point scores over the course of a five-day competition. However, Fitzgeralds was comprised of veteran students, all of whom had competed in the competition previously with multiple former champions.

After the first day, House Fitzgeralds led 3-2 over House Sahara, leading the Trials of Unity, Voice, and Legends. House Sahara held a 100-point lead, outscoring the fourth-period class 184-84 and with a 2.5% lead in the honor trial at 95.8%-93.3% positive. The Unity Trial (average points per student) and Legends Trial (top 3 average) were both extremely close, at 6.00-5.94 and 12.67-12.00, respectively. The only blow-out trial was Voice (French speaking), which House Fitzgeralds had earned a staggering 53.3.% on their first day.

The series flipped upside down on the second day, with House Sahara taking a 4-1 lead, flipping the Unity and Legends Trials in their favor. By this moment, it began to seem like House Fitzgerald's strength in speaking French as the UNLV/Dual Enrollment class may not be able to compensate for their dramatically smaller class size. House Sahara ran up the score, increasing their lead from 100 to 197 points, leading 338-141. This dramatic increase in point differential allowed Sahara to overtake the Unity Trial as well, landing a 10.9 average point per student compared to Fitzgeralds' 10.1. Sahara also bolstered a tighter cluster of high-earning students, allowing them to jump ahead in the Legends Trial (19.67-18.33), while maintaining their lead in Honor at 96.8%-91.6%. House Fitzgeralds held their dominance in the Voice Trial, leading 41.6%-13.8%.

House Sahara maintained a lead after three days of competition, holding onto a slight 3-2 edge over House Fitzgeralds, the deciding category being the Trial of Legend, separated by only a third of a point at 30.67-30.33. House Sahara's 524 points had earned them a 16.90 average and a 97.4% positive rating. House Fitzgeralds had 279 points through three days, averaging 19.93 points per student and a 95.5% positive score. Fitzgeralds continued to maintain a sizable lead in the Trial of Voice, leading 37.0%-13.8%.

Sahara maintained a razor-thin 3-2 lead through four competition days, with no categories changing hands on the fourth day. The Legends Trial remained the closest, still separated by only a third of a point with the Saharans leading 43.00-42.67. The 756-points through four days was already enough to set a new record for a playoff series by House Sahara. They also maintained a lead in Honor, 97.7%-96.4%. House Fitzgeralds push for points solidified their lead in Unity at 28.86-24.35, and Voice which they continued to dominate at 43.44-22.48, but their 404 points was still not good enough to flip a third category through four days.

House Sahara held on to defeat House Fitzgeralds on the fifth day of competition, 3-2. They earned a record-setting 887 points to win the Trial of Might and won 1-percent and 1-point leads in the Trials of Honor and Legends, respectively, to win the series. House Fitzgeralds was outscored heavily in total points, accumulating only 506 points, but given their small class roster, it was impressive to have such a close series. They set a new record in the Trial of Unity, with 36.14, and Trial of Voice, earning 41.3% of their points for speaking or using French.

Semi-final #2 was a French 2 matchup between second-ranked House Strat and third-ranked House Bellagio, Periods 7 and 6, respectively. It was the second all-time meeting between Periods 6 and 7, the only prior meeting coming in the 2022 Semi-Final round at Millbrook High School which Period 6 won 3-2. Both of these Houses were French II-Honors classes, marking the second year in a row that the two French level 2 courses would face-off in the semi-final round. 

In the first round, House Bellagio defeated House Caesars in the first round to continue their title defense, advancing to the final four for the second consecutive year and third time in history. For House Strat, they automatically advanced to the semi-final round by virtue of finishing with the second most points in the season. This was the sixth appearance in the final four for the seventh-period class.

Bellagio was favored to win the 5-day series due to their slight advantage in class size that could potentially out-pace Strat over the course of a 5-day series. Bellagio was initially predicted to win Might, while Strat was predicted to win Unity. The remaining categories were all toss ups, with Honor and Legend leaning in Bellagio's favor, based solely on their first-round experience.

Through the first day cycle, House Strat edged out House Bellagio for a 3-2 lead. The two houses earned over 120 points on their first days, with House Bellagio leading this trial 129-121. House Strat lead the Trial of Unity (average points per student) 4.84 to 3.79, while House Bellagio maintained a wide gap in the Honor Trial (positive percentage) at 98.5% to 89.6%. House Strat led the final two trials: Voice and Legends, 13.3%-6.11%, and13.33-7.67, respectively.

After two days, House Bellagio had turned the tides and took a 4-1 series lead. They had earned 321 points, good for a 9.44 average and 97.57% poistive score. The Legends trial was separated by only a third of a point, the difference of one point amongst the top 3 of each house, Bellagio leading 19-18.67. House Strat's 230 points was good for an average of 9.20 and a positive score of 89.49%, their biggest weakness of the series. Both Houses had earned 48 points for speaking French, but in percentages, House Strat's 18.68% bested House Bellagio's 14.59%, giving them their only trial lead after the second day.

Three days in saw a steady lead for House Bellagio shrink slightly, as their 4-1 advantage dropped to 3-2. They continued to dominate in points, leading 460-337. They maintained a slight edge over House Strat in the Trial of Unity, averaging 13.6 points to their 13.5. Bellagio maintained a better score in the Trial of Honor, as well, completing their three-trial trifecta to maintain the series edge, with a 97-90% advantage. House Strat held their Voice advantage, at 24-21%, and managed to regain the upper hand in the Legends trial, 29.67-27.00.

House Strat regained control of the series on the fourth day of competition, snagging a 3-2 series lead heading into the final day. Despite only having 473 points, they were able to retake the trial of Unity (18.92-18.79) while maintaining the trials of Voice (30.86%-25.61%) and Legends (37.67-35.33). House Bellagio had essentially locked up the Trails of MIght and Honor, pending a horrid final day, leading both by notable margins. Their 639 points was good for a 97.41% positive score and kept them within striking distance in the Trial of Unity. The Trials of Voice and Legends were both toss-ups entering the final competition day.

The final day of the series was tense, as House Bellagio regained the lead after their final day, putting House Strat in a 0-5 hole for their final day. Unfortunately for the second-ranked class, they were unable to overcome the final day tally by the defending champion class period and Bellagio would take the series, 4-1. House Bellagio earned 847 points, good for an average of 24.91, a 97.92% positive marking, and a leader average of 53.33. Their French speaking score was the only trial where they fell short, still managing to record 33.56%. House Strat finished with 549 points, an average of 21.69 points per student, a 2026-low 90.44% positivity rating, and 47.33 amongst their top three. They did win the Trial of Voice, earning 34.27% of their points for French usage.

The battle began on 29 April, with both Houses taking their first days. House Sahara ended day one with a 4-1 series lead, claiming all trials except Voice, which they only trailed by 2.9 points. Sahara earned 263 points in the first day, notably scoring a perfect day with no points lost. They averaged 8.76 per noble and their highest earners averaged 17.67 points. Bellagio posted 222 points on the inaugural day, an average of 6.53 and a positive score of 98.7%, having lost three points. Their highest scorers all had 11 points. Bellagio's Voice trial score was their only advantage, with 51.6%-48.7% as the edge.

After the second day of battle, House Sahara increased their lead to 5-0. They had earned 462 points for 15.40 in Unity had a second perfect day with no lost points. House Bellagio's 425 points was close, but only good for 12.50 in Unity and a 98.8% honor score. The Voice and Legends Trials remained close, with Sahara leading 51.1%-49.8% and 34.33-33.33, respectively.

Not much changed through three days; Sahara maintained a 5-0 lead, increasing their score to 715-638. They did lose points on day 3, bringing their perfect Honor score down to 99.4%, but still held an advantage over Bellagio's 99.1%. Voice was a 52.9%-46.6% edge for Sahara, with a 9-point lead in Legends, 54-45.

By Day 4, Sahara's odds of winning had skyrocketed as they held a 5-0 lead, a score that has never happened as the final mark of a series to this point. Their points had upped to 865 (vs. 826), a 28.83 (vs. 24.29) in Unity, and a 99.4-99.1% edge in Honor. Despite Bellagio closing the gap in Might a bit, it was still Sahara's game. They increased their Voice advantage to 55.6% to 43.5% and held a solid 60.67-52.33 lead in Legends to enter the final contest.

Despite being down, House Bellagio was not out entering the final day of competition. They put up their strongest effort on the last day and were able to just barely claim two of the five categories but ultimately fell 3-2 to House Sahara.