Beat the champ.
Take the belt.
Every league crowns one champion a year. We track the other one: a belt passed hand to hand since each league's first game, changing owners the moment somebody beats whoever's holding it.
Beat Houston Texans 27–21, Oct 25.
Beat New York Knicks 115–107, Nov 11.
Beat Buffalo Sabres 4–1, Nov 8.
Beat Texas Rangers 6–4, Sep 27.
Belt frozen: CFL (Stampeders) is done for the season, so that belt carries over to next season.
Every belt right now, college included → · Belt games this week → · My belts → · This week's digest → · The Daily Belt → · Beat the lean: leaderboard →
More North American leagues
Beat BC Lions 32–13, Oct 17.
Beat Austin FC 4–1, Oct 10.
Beat Golden State Valkyries 90–82, Sep 22.
Beat Denver Summit FC 4–1, Sep 26.
Beat Montréal Victoire 4–3, Apr 21.
Beat St. Louis Battlehawks 20–16, May 29.
Beat Ohio State 5–4, Nov 1.
International soccer
Beat AFC Bournemouth 2–1, Aug 23.
Beat Atlético Madrid 3–0, Sep 5.
Beat ACF Fiorentina 4–0, May 4.
Beat Borussia Dortmund 3–2, Feb 28.
Beat RC Strasbourg 2–1, Sep 19.
Beat sc Heerenveen 3–0, Apr 12.
Beat Tijuana 1–0, Nov 6.
Beat Peru 3–1, Jun 8.
Australia
Beat Fremantle 96–89, Sep 26.
Beat Dolphins 36–20, Sep 25.
College
Holding since Oct 30, 2026 · 1 defense.
Holding since Nov 6, 2026 · 1 defense.
Holding since Apr 5, 2026 · 2 defenses.
Across every belt
All 19 belts, updated every two hours- Bayern · Bundesliga257 days
- UCLA · Women's college hoops221 days
- AZ · Eredivisie214 days
- Vancouver · PWHL205 days
- Roma · Serie A192 days
- Baylor (College football) at BYU40% to defend
Latest title changes
Every league, newest first- NBACleveland Cavaliers beat New York Knicks 115–107 and took the belt Story →Nov 11, 2026
- NHLVegas Golden Knights beat Buffalo Sabres 4–1 and took the belt Story →Nov 8, 2026
- NBANew York Knicks beat Cleveland Cavaliers 109–97 and took the belt Story →Nov 7, 2026
- NBACleveland Cavaliers beat Philadelphia 76ers 119–95 and took the belt Story →Nov 6, 2026
- NHLBuffalo Sabres beat Columbus Blue Jackets 5–2 and took the belt Story →Nov 6, 2026
- Liga MXNecaxa beat Tijuana 1–0 and took the belt Story →Nov 6, 2026
Today in belt history
All of November 12 →- NBACleveland Cavaliers beat Miami Heat 130–116 and took the belt2025
- NFLHouston Texans beat Cincinnati Bengals 30–27 and took the belt2023
- NCAA HockeyUMass Lowell beat Northeastern 2–1 (OT) and took the belt2021
- NHLMontréal Canadiens beat Detroit Red Wings 5–0 and took the belt2016
- NCAA HockeyMinnesota Duluth beat Western Michigan 2–0 and took the belt2016
- NHLColorado Avalanche beat Columbus Blue Jackets 5–1 and took the belt2010
Stories
All stories →It starts at game one
The winner of each league's first game picks up the belt. Everything since is one unbroken line.
Beat the holder, take it
Regular season or playoffs, home or away. A win over the holder is the only way the belt moves.
Ties go to the champ
A tie is a successful defense. A holder whose season is over keeps the belt until it plays again. If a holder's franchise folds, the belt goes back to the last holder still playing.
The record books
Belt FAQ
What is a lineal championship belt?
A lineal championship belt is a title that changes hands only when the holder loses. Each league's belt starts with the winner of the league's first game, and it passes to whoever beats the holder, game by game: regular season, playoffs, home or away. Nothing is voted on. Belt Holders tracks one for every pro league, with the college belts on their sister sites.
Who holds the NFL belt right now?
New York Giants hold the NFL belt: took it from Houston Texans, 27–21, on October 25, 2026, with 1 defense since (18 days and counting, Giants’ 28th reign). The next belt game is Giants vs. Washington Commanders on November 12, 2026.
Who holds the NBA belt right now?
Cleveland Cavaliers hold the NBA belt: took it from New York Knicks, 115–107, on November 11, 2026, with 0 defenses since (1 day and counting, Cavaliers’ 86th reign). The next belt game is Cavaliers at Miami Heat on November 13, 2026.
Who holds the NHL belt right now?
Vegas Golden Knights hold the NHL belt: took it from Buffalo Sabres, 4–1, on November 8, 2026, with 1 defense since (4 days and counting, Golden Knights’ 24th reign). The next belt game is Golden Knights vs. Nashville Predators on November 13, 2026.
Who holds the MLB belt right now?
Minnesota Twins hold the MLB belt: took it from Texas Rangers, 6–4, on September 27, 2026, with 0 defenses since (46 days and counting, Twins’ 538th reign).
What happens when the holder's season ends?
The belt waits. A holder that is eliminated, or whose league goes into its offseason, keeps the belt until its next game, so a belt can be "frozen" through a postseason the holder isn't in. If a franchise folds or drops out of the league, the belt goes back to the most recent earlier holder that is still playing.
Do ties, overtime and shootouts count?
A tie is a successful defense; the belt only moves on a loss. Overtime and shootout results count the way the league counts them. Preseason, exhibition and All-Star games don't count at all.