Two more names advance to New Japan Cup 2026 quarterfinals
New Japan Cup 2026 continued to progress through the second round with two more tournament matches taking place on Thursday.
With respective victories over HENARE and Satoshi Kojima, Oleg Boltin and Ren Narita secured their spots in the quarterfinals. They will face off against each other next with Boltin vs. Narita taking place on March 15.
Boltin and Narita have now each picked up two victories in the tournament. Boltin has defeated El Phantasmo and HENARE, while Narita defeated Taichi in the first round before this win over Kojima. The 55-year-old Kojima initially wasn’t part of the New Japan Cup field but replaced the injured Tomohiro Ishii at the last minute and had a first-round bye.
There are still a few more second-round matchups left before the quarterfinals begin. Those will go down this Friday and Saturday before the quarterfinals kick off on Sunday with Yuya Uemura vs. Shingo Takagi and Boltin vs. Narita.
An IWGP Heavyweight Championship shot is at stake with the New Japan Cup winner earning the right to challenge Yota Tsuji at Sakura Genesis on April 4.
Here is the updated tournament schedule:
Second round —
Friday, March 13:
- Callum Newman vs. Hartley Jackson
- Jake Lee vs. Hirooki Goto
Saturday, March 14:
- Yujiro Takahashi vs. Shota Umino
- Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ryohei Oiwa
Quarterfinals —
Sunday, March 15:
- Yuya Uemura vs. Shingo Takagi
- Oleg Boltin vs. Ren Narita
Tuesday, March 17:
- TBD
- TBD
Semifinals —
Friday, March 20:
- TBD
- TBD
Finals —
Saturday, March 21:
- TBD
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.