US Cyber Games Selects Nation's Cyber Athletes for Season VI Combine; Calls on Industry to Help Build America's Next Cyber Team

US Cyber Games Selects Nation's Cyber Athletes for Season VI Combine; Calls on Industry to Help Build America's Next Cyber Team

More than 100 elite cyber athletes advance to the nation's premier scouting and evaluation program as corporate leaders are invited to sponsor, coach, mentor, and recruit America's future cybersecurity workforce.

Season VI US Cyber Combine — By the Numbers

• 100+ Elite Cyber Athletes Invited
• 95% Prior Competitive CTF Experience
• 8 Weeks National Scouting & Evaluation
• 7+ Core Cybersecurity Disciplines Assessed
• Multiple Nationally Recognized Competitions Represented
• October 22, 2026 US Cyber Draft Day
• One Mission: Build Team USA and Strengthen the Nation's Cyber Workforce

WASHINGTON, D.C. — July 22, 2026 — Katzcy PlayCyber, founding organizer of the US Cyber Games®, today announced that more than 100 of the nation's highest-performing cyber athletes have earned invitations to the Season VI US Cyber Combine—an elite eight-week scouting and evaluation program designed to identify future members of the US Cyber Team while connecting them with the executives, coaches, and mentors who will help shape the next generation of cybersecurity leaders.

Inspired by professional sports combines, the US Cyber Combine evaluates far more than technical skill. Athletes are assessed on leadership, teamwork, resilience, adaptability, communication, and decision-making under pressure—qualities essential for success in today's cybersecurity workforce and international competition.

Alongside today's announcement, Katzcy PlayCyber is inviting corporate sponsors, cybersecurity executives, technical coaches, and industry mentors to help strengthen America's cybersecurity talent pipeline while gaining early access to one of the nation's most accomplished communities of emerging cyber professionals.

Elite Talent. Proven Performance.

The Season VI cohort represents one of the nation's strongest pools of competitive cybersecurity talent. More than 95 percent of invited athletes enter the Combine with prior Capture-the-Flag (CTF) competition experience, including prestigious events such as DEF CON CTF, the Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC), NSA Codebreaker Challenge, CyberStart America, and the Deloitte Foundation Cyber Threat Competition.

The cohort also includes nationally recognized competitors, championship teams, and athletes representing leading universities, government organizations, and cybersecurity employers, including Carnegie Mellon University, Howard University, Purdue University, Virginia Tech, the U.S. Department of Defense, AWS, and the SANS Institute.

Measuring the Complete Cyber Athlete

Over eight weeks, athletes are evaluated through:

• Technical challenges across Cryptography, Digital Forensics, Reverse Engineering, Exploitation (PWN), Web Security, Networking, Hardware, and Attack & Defense.
• Live Attack & Defense scrimmages measure teamwork, communication, adaptability, and execution under pressure.
• An autonomous cyberbot engineering project demonstrating innovation and applied problem-solving.
• Structured coach and executive observations and interviews assessing leadership, professionalism, coachability, and career potential.

Engagement of athletes is measured as points in comparison to their peers available via weekly leaderboards. Each week, they compete for placement in each major category. At the end, athletes receive digital badges and certificates of completion with detailed information they can use to support CPEs. Performance throughout the Combine is used by Team USA coaches and scouts to evaluate athletes for selection to the 2027 US Cyber Team. Final selections will be announced during the US Cyber Draft Day on October 22, 2026, in the Washington, D.C. area.

"Professional sports don't build championship teams by evaluating statistics alone—they evaluate leadership, resilience, communication, adaptability, and the ability to perform under pressure," said Jessica Gulick, CEO of Katzcy PlayCyber and Commissioner of the US Cyber Games. "Cybersecurity deserves the same standard. The US Cyber Combine identifies exceptional technical talent while developing the complete cyber athlete. We invite organizations across industry to help build America's next generation of cyber defenders."

A Call to Industry

As demand for cybersecurity talent continues to outpace supply, the US Cyber Combine offers organizations a unique opportunity to invest directly in America's future cybersecurity workforce while engaging with elite cyber athletes before they enter the profession.

Katzcy PlayCyber also thanks the coaches and mentor volunteers working with the prospective cyber athletes and SkillBit (formerly MetaCTF) as a Season VI US Cyber Combine Training sponsor for providing their advanced platform and technical challenges to assist evaluations.

Organizations can participate through:

• Corporate Sponsorship supports athlete development, infrastructure, travel, and international competition.
• Technical Mentorship and Game Coaching to help shape the next generation of cybersecurity leaders.
• Talent Scouting and Workforce Development through early access to high-performing cyber athletes with proven technical and leadership capabilities.

Organizations interested in sponsoring the Season VI US Cyber Combine, serving as mentors or coaches, or attending the 2026 US Cyber Draft Day are encouraged to visit www.uscybergames.com or contact Jessica Gulick at gulickj@katzcy.com.

About Katzcy & PlayCyber®

Katzcy is a certified woman-owned small business dedicated to advancing cybersecurity workforce development through innovative education, competition, and community engagement. PlayCyber®, a division of Katzcy, designs and operates world-class cybersecurity competitions and talent development programs, including the US Cyber Games®. Learn more at www.katzcy.com.

About the US Cyber Games®

The US Cyber Games® identifies, develops, and prepares America's elite cyber athletes to compete on the international stage while strengthening the nation's cybersecurity workforce. Through the US Cyber Open, US Cyber Combine, Draft Day, training camps, and global competitions, the program creates a high-performance pathway connecting exceptional technical talent with industry, government, and Team USA. This initiative receives funding through NICE, a program managed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology within the U.S. Department of Commerce, via financial assistance award #70NANB22H102.