2026 March Madness Day 1 Matchups

The first round pits the highest vs lowest seeds, but there are some very compelling contests right off the bat that will leave some people disappointed. This tournament is known for upsets and surprises, so buckle in and get ready for what comes next.



As the top seed in the nomination phase, conventional wisdom would say Luthen should have an easy win here. But it is unwise to count out the 5th Brother- who I’m told is the strong silent Inquisitor from Rebels and Obi-Wan Kenobi, not Michael Jackson.

Figures from animation have historically out-performed their seeding in these tournaments. Luthen obviously has some ardent supporters, but the overall numbers need to show up to push him through.



A great matchup of classic Kenner favorites who have been made multiple times but could use an update. The “Make the Mains” proponents will surely rally behind Luke, but Bossk has the added benefit of sharing potential tooling with 2 Cantina wants.

I look for this one to come down to the wire and either result will leave some people angry.



This one has become a hot debate topic since the bracket was revealed setting off a couple virtual fistfights in the comments. Qui-Gon is a prequel main whose “best” figure has some glaring issues, while the unfortunately-named Frog Lady is an oft-requested unique alien from the Mandalorian season 2.

Qui-Gon is kind of a litmus test for TPM. A lot of us still have PTSD from 2012 and I don’t blame Hasbro for virtually ignoring the movie. There might simply not be enough juice to overcome the steady drumbeat of demand for never-made aliens.



These are two figures that both have some very fervent supporters, and regularly qualify for March Madness, but neither has made much of an impact in these tournaments. Will this be the year one of them goes on a run?

Vos is likely to take this, but at some point collectors might just give up on getting anything from Solo. Yotts is arguably the most prominent unmade combatant from the Skirmish at Carkoon, but he lacks the name recognition of someone like Barada.



This one breaks my heart, but Ewok Dress Leia has little chance of knocking off Echo. The remaining Bad Batch members should all move through the first couple of rounds before running into any real competition.



Some would see this as a matchup between terrible and terrible. Ben Solo’s been inching up in these rankings and cracked the top-25 here, while Sith Eternal Palpatine seems to be sliding since his debut in TROS. Will he be able to reverse the tide here? Or are people starting to appreciate Adam Driver’s wasted potential enough to push for a plastic version?



Guest Analysis by John Madden:

See here’s a guy that knows what he’s about. He’s a savage and he oppresses people. And that’s why they call him Savage Opress. He reminds me of Nate Newton. Boom!

I couldn’t have said it better myself, John. Savage Opress should easily cruise past 2-1B who probably wouldn’t even get elbows. Sorry, medical droid enthusiasts.



Sim Aloo as the 8 seed tells us that the Original 96 zealots are vocal in the nomination phase. Does he have enough actual support to stay in the tournament against high-demand opponents? Hard to say, but he should have an easy time with Bo Shek whose main appeal is Carl Yastrzemski sideburns and some reusable tooling.

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