International Competitions
The next Target Rifle World Long Range Championships will be held in Bisley, England in 2028. In preparation for this event, the United States National Rifle Team will be training and touring as One Team to International Competitions in the preceding years as follows:
2025
- May: West Indies Fullbore Championships (WIFBC)(Barbados)
- July: Imperial Meeting (Bisley, England)
- August 18-23: Dominion of Canada Rifle Association (DCRA) National Matches (Mons Range, Ottawa).
2026
- May: WIFBC (TBD)
- July: Imperial Meeting (Bisley, England)
- August: DCRA and the America Match (Ottawa)
- October 10-20: Australia Match (Belmont Shooting Complex in Brisbane). An Under 25 Australia Match will also be held concurrently with the open teams competing for the Empire Trophy. The USNRT is fundraising to support the travel and entry of two teams who will represent the USA.
2027
- May: WIFBC (TBD)
- July: Imperial Meeting and possibly the America Match(Bisley, England)
- August: DCRA (Ottawa, Canada)
2028
- August: Target Rifle World Long Range Championships (Bisley, England)
World Long Range Championships
The prestigious international competition is the Target Rifle (TR) World Long Range Championships (WLRC). The WLRC are considered the Olympics of long range shooting and are held ~ every four years in rotating countries. The Championships draw around 350 athletes from 12 nations. Since 1999 these World Championships have been governed by the International Confederation of Fullbore Rifle Associations (ICFRA) and is the successor to the Palma Match Council. As a confederation of autonomous national rifle associations and regional governing bodies, ICFRA’s primary aims “include the standardization of fullbore rifle shooting rules and the promotion and control of international matches at the World level, including the World Championships for Target Rifle and F-Class (Individual and Team).”
The World Fullbore Rifle Team Championships (redesignated in 2003 as The World Championship Long Range Team Match) dates back to the November 9, 1875, when the Board of Directors of the NRA of America resolved “That in furtherance of the steps already taken for a Grand International Competition on the occasion of the Centennial Anniversary of American Independence, and for a proper observation of such Anniversary on the part of this Association, a series of Rifle matches be inaugurated to take place during the Summer or Autumn of 1876, and a general invitation be and hereby is extended to riflemen of all Countries to participate” (source ICFRA Match Conditions for the Long Range World Championships). Indeed the first match was fired in September 1876, which predates the modern Olympic Games (1896). The first era of competition for the Palma Trophy continued until 1928. The second era began in 1966 when the celebration of the Canadian Centennial revived the Palma Trophy Match. The team match will only be designated as a World Championship if there are at least four countries / approved regional groups participating. See “The Palma Match & Trophy” on this page for more information.
The Individual Long Range Target Rifle Championships started in 1992. They must precede the team match and generally last three days. The course of fire is the same as the team match: two convertible sighters and 15 record shots at 800, 900, and 1000 yards (or their metric equivalent). A shoulder to shoulder shoot-off is held between the top ten firers after the final stage is completed to determine the final ranking of these shooters. The Paterson Cup is awarded to the winner of the Individual Match. This trophy is the property of the United Kingdom NRA.
The Age-Group and Veterans Championships: The WLRC consist of both individual and team championships. For the individual championships, in addition to the overall winner, there are categories for Under-25, Under-21, Veterans 60 and older, and Veterans 70+. For the Team Championships, there are separate Under-25, Under-21 (if sufficient eligible teams), and Veterans Team Championships. These team matches are contested concurrently within the envelope of the host Nation Championship event and the Long Range World Championship competitions. For any of these team matches to be designated as a World Championship, at least four countries / approved regional groups must participate. The course of fire for the Under-25/-21 and Veterans Target Rifle World Team Championship is, for each shooter, two convertible sighting shots and ten shots at each distance: 300, 600, 900, and 1000 yards (or their metric equivalents). Five shooters are squadded to a target and the team time allowance is 77 minutes at short range and 82 minutes at long range.
The Veterans Target Rifle World Championship (VWC) team consists of a maximum of 17 members: 1 captain, 1 adjutant, 10 shooters, 2 reserves, 1 main coach/coordinator, 2 target coaches. The winning team becomes the holder of the Challenger Trophy which was donated by the New Zealand Veterans in 1995, and is permanently housed at the headquarters of the New Zealand Rifle Association in Trentham. Additionally, the Veteran shooter aged 70 or over (“Senior Veteran”) who makes the highest score in the Veterans Individual Championship will be awarded the Dick Winney Salver. Finally, if in the envelope of the World Championship the host nation conducts a domestic International Team Match for which there is a Veterans section that match can be an ICFRA Match and designated “The Tony Loughnan Memorial Match”. The match must contain both short and long range components, but the details of team size, number of shots, and distances are agreed upon by the organizers and ICFRA.
The “Age-Group” Matches have since 2003 (initial trial) been offered for Under-25 and Under-21 (and Under-19 in addition to or in substitution of either of the foregoing). The competitor is qualified if their 19th, 21st, or 25th, as applicable, birthday falls after the day of the relevant World Championship Team Match. Similar to the Veterans, the match is designated a World Championship only if four countries / approved regional groups participate in any specific age group. For the age-group, Under-25/-21/-19, a team is composed of a maximum of 8 members: 1 captain, 5 shooters, 1 reserve, 1 coach. An accredited ‘adult’ Manager over the age qualifications may be in attendance to represent the teams interests with the Match and Host National officials and at the pre match team captains meeting, but may not provide advice or assistance on the firing point. The winning team is awarded the Under-25 LVA Trophy (or Under-21 LVA Trophy) both of which were donated by Mr. Ian Cheeseman, President of LVA Communications in 1997.
An Age-Groups Target Rifle World Individual Championship event may also be conducted concurrent with events shot at the associated host nation’s national matches and the aggregate for the championship must consist of a minimum of 4 shoots each at both the short and long ranges. When both an Under-21 and an Under-25 Individual Championships are shot they will be separate events with separate prize lists. An Under-21 shooter may enter either, but not both. A minimum of ten competitors are required for the event to be designated “World Championship”. The winner of the Under-25 World Championship is awarded the Ian Cheeseman Memorial trophy presented by his friends and family in memory of the founder of the USA Young Eagles Program. The winner of the Under-21 World Championship is awarded the USA ‘Young Eagles’ Trophy presented by Mr. D. Flaharty, US Palma Team Captain 2011 and 2015. These trophies are the property of the National Rifle Association of America.
The Palma Match & Trophy
The Palma competition originated in 1876 as part of the centennial celebration of American independence. This “Great Centennial Rifle Match” was held at Creedmoor, the long distance shooting range on Long Island, and hosted by a very young National Rifle Association (charted in 1871). Teams from the United States, Australia, Canada, Scotland and Ireland competed in this inaugural competition. At that time, each team consisted of eight firing members and they each fired 15 shots each at 800, 900, and 1000 yards on a six by ten foot frame target with a 36 inch black bull’s eye. The United States won that match.
The World Championship Long Range Team Match is the world’s second-oldest international team match, behind only the America’s Cup (founded 1851). It is referred to as “The Palma Match” and the Palma Trophy is awarded to the winning team only if a USA team competes. America is the only country to have competed in every single match, 32 to date. The match format remains two convertible sighters and 15 shots to count by each team member at each distance – 800, 900, and 1000 yards, or the metric equivalent, but is now fired twice over two consecutive days by teams of 16 firers (at present) occupying 4 targets. Thus, a full strength Palma ‘Squad’ is a maximum of 25 persons: a Captain, an Adjutant, 4 target Wind Coaches, 1 Main Coach/Coordinator, 16 Firers, and 2 Reserves.
Other awards presented based upon performance in the World Championship Long Range Team Match include the Fulton Trophy and the Arthur Clarke Gold Medal. The Fulton Trophy is named after Major Henry Fulton who was Captain of the USA team in the first Palma Match in 1876. It is awarded to the highest individual scorer in the team match. The Arthur Clarke Gold Medal is awarded to the target coach whose quartet makes the highest score over the two days of the Palma Match.
For a summary of Palma Match results see here.
The Grand Centennial Trophy or the International Rifle Trophy as it was originally named was custom-built by Tiffany’s of New York at a cost of $1500 (privately funded) and included 280 ounces of silver. The trophy stood seven and one-half feet tall and was modeled after a Roman legion’s standard with an eagle perched on a panel with the word PALMA – Latin for victory, honor, glory – inscribed on it. This is why it became known as the Palma Trophy. 
The original trophy was last seen in the early 1930’s in what is now the Old Executive Office building – next door to the White House, but extensive searches over the decades have proven futile. However, the original Tiffany plans for the trophy were found, and Dr. Herbert M. Aitken, M.D, from Eau Claire, WI, constructed a two-third size replica of the Palma Trophy. He donated it to the NRA in 1988.
Australia Match
The Australia Match, originated in 1907 as the Empire Match. The match was renamed the Australia Match (shooting for the Empire Trophy) to celebrate the Australian Bicentenary year in 1988. It has been held ~ every two years at rotating locations. Until 1985, only the countries of the British Empire and then the countries of the British Commonwealth competed for the Empire Trophy.
The United States first competed in the Empire Match at its 34th event (1985) when it was hosted in the United Kingdom. To date, the US has competed in this match a total of 8 times: 1985, 1988, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2011, and 2017. The year 2017 was also the last time the match was shot as travel and other restrictions created by corona virus prevented subsequent competitions.
In 2026, the Australia Match will return to Australia and an Under 25 Australia Match will also be held concurrently with the open teams. The USNRT is fundraising to support the travel and entry of two teams who will represent the United States of America while competing at the Belmont Shooting Complex in Brisbane 10-20 October 2026.
America Match
The Match Conditions: A team of 8 shooters, two line coaches, a main coach, a captain and vice captain and 2 reserves. Each firer shoots 2 convertible sighters and 15 shots to count at 300, 600, 900 and 1000 yards (or 300, 600, 800 and 900 meters as appropriate to the venue).
The Competition History: In 2002, the USA, Canada, Great Britain and Germany competed for the match. On this occasion, Great Britain won the match from Canada with a margin of 48 points with USA a further 9 points behind them. In 2004, the USA team beat Great Britain in a closely fought match where the teams were practically level going back to 1000 yards. 2006 saw Great Britain win back the trophy with a new record America Match score dropping only 8 points between 8 firers. At 800m the team managed a perfect score of 600 and there were three scores of 300 in the team!
In 2008, the USA once again won the match in Raton, NM besting Great Britain (England) and Australia and setting a new 300 yard record of a perfect score for all eight shooters. In 2010 Great Britain won the team match over Canada and the United States. In 2012 the America Match was competed for the first time at Camp Perry, Ohio. This was also the first time Canada had competed in this match in the US and the first time Japan has ever competed in this match. This America Match had its match conditions modified, one time only, with the unanimous support of all the team captains to substitute 600 yards for 800 yards so as to be compatible with the four-man Palma Team match fired concurrently. The USA won.
In 2013 the America Match was contested in South Africa for the first time ever outside of the North American continent. Competing were South Africa, England, Northern Ireland, and the USA. South Africa won the match with the USA second and England third. A onetime only waiver was granted by the US NRA to allow UK home countries to compete separately. 2014 saw the America Match back in Canada. This is within the standard rotation of this prestigious team match. Teams from Canada, Great Britain, Japan and the Unites States were present. USA set a new America Match Record of 2392 – 339V’s besting the previous record of 2392 – 317 V’s set by GB in 2006. USA shot a team clean score at 600 yards of 600 points. Canada finish overall only one point behind the USA in one of the closes matches ever fired. This match marks the first time the USA has won this match outside of the United States.
The 2015, the America Match was held in conjunction with the World Championships for the first time. The venue was Camp Perry, Ohio. Great Britain won the match marking the first time GB had won the match in the United States. The 2018 America Match was held in Canada and shot in its normal rotation of venues. USA won and the scores for all teams including Canada and GB were very close making it a very challenging and exciting match coming down to the last few shots between the three teams at the final distance. The 2019 America Match was held in England at Bisley Camp for the first time. It was a very special occasion as it was the UK NRA’s 150th Meeting. England won the team match with Scotland second and the US in third. It was the most attended America Match in its almost 20 year history with twelve countries participating.
The trophy was next contested in 2024 at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico. The Great Britain countries of Scotland and England were given permission to compete separately. The details of how the USA won this match are here.