One of the most anticipated competition weekends in collegiate esports is almost here! The Spring 2026 NACE Grand Finals, presented by ASUS RoG, returns in-person to Full Sail University from Thursday, April 23 – Sunday, April 26, 2026. Across this four-day-weekend, 48 collegiate esports teams in North America will battle for national championships in six game titles.
About the NACE Grand Finals This Year
National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE), the largest and most established association of varsity collegiate esports programs across North America, will be hosting their annual LAN Grand Finals at Full Sail University, inside the Orlando Health Fortress and the Full Sail Live venue. This year, there are six titles on the line, including VALORANT, Rocket League, Call of Duty, League of Legends, Overwatch 2, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
The standout addition to the event this year is that the official Overwatch Collegiate League Grand Finals, in direct partnership with Activision-Blizzard, will be played on LAN for the first time in years. In addition to the six NACE titles up for grabs, the top 2 teams in the Overwatch Collegiate Open, a circuit open to non-NACE members, will also battle it out on LAN to be crowned champions.
Where to Watch + The Schedule
Going In Person?
The event is free and open to the public at Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL. Competition is split across two venues on campus:
- Full Sail Live – Full Sail’s large arena-style venue for the main stage
- Full Sail University Orlando Health Fortress – Full Sail’s esports arena
Watching from Home?
Matches will be streamed live across three simultaneous Twitch channels:
- 🟣 Main Stream — twitch.tv/NACEsports
- 🟣 B-Stream — twitch.tv/NACEsportsB
- 🟣 C-Stream — twitch.tv/NACEsportsC
NACE has also partnered with several schools to remotely broadcast the GSL and semi-finals stages for each title:
| Title | Broadcast Partner |
|---|---|
| Rocket League | Ball State |
| Call of Duty | Fanshawe Fuel |
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Mizzou Esports |
| VALORANT & League of Legends | Saints Gaming CA |
| Overwatch | Raidiant + OW Esports Twitch |
The Schedule at a Glance
📅 Thursday, April 24 — Bracket Play (VALORANT, Rocket League, League of Legends)
VALORANT, Rocket League, and League of Legends all begin group stage play on Thursday.
| Time (EST) | Match | Where to Watch |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 AM – 5:30PM | VALORANT Bracket Play | 🟣 B-Stream — twitch.tv/NACEsportsB |
| 9:00 AM – 5:30PM | League of Legends Bracket Play | 🟣 C-Stream — twitch.tv/NACEsportsC |
| 11:00 AM – 1PM | Rocket League Bracket Play | 🟣 Main Stream — twitch.tv/NACEsports |
📅 Friday, April 25 — Grand Finals Day 1 (VALORANT, Rocket League, League of Legends)🏆
The first three champions are crowned on Friday. All matches take place at the Full Sail Fortress.
| Time (EST) | Match | Where to Watch |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 AM (Semi-Finals) 11:00 AM (Grand Finals) | 🏅 Rocket League Semi-Finals 🏆 Rocket League Grand Finals | 🟣 Main Stream — twitch.tv/NACEsports |
| 9:00 AM (Semi-Finals) 12:30 PM (Grand Finals) | 🏅 League of Legends Semi-Finals 🏆 League of Legends Grand Finals | 🟣 C-Stream — twitch.tv/NACEsportsC 🟣 Main Stream — twitch.tv/NACEsports |
| 10:00 AM (Semi-Finals) 3:30 PM (Grand Finals) | 🏅 VALORANT Semi-Finals 🏆 VALORANT Grand Finals | 🟣 B-Stream — twitch.tv/NACEsportsB 🟣 Main Stream — twitch.tv/NACEsports |
📅 Saturday, April 26 — Bracket Play (Call of Duty, Overwatch, Smash)
Call of Duty, Overwatch, and Smash Bros. Ultimate all run bracket/group stage play simultaneously starting at 9:00 AM. Unlike other titles, the Overwatch NACE bracket will progress on Saturday until the two grand finalists are decided.
| Time (EST) | Match | Where to Watch |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM 3:00 PM | CoD Bracket Play CoD Lower Round 3 | 🟣 C-Stream — twitch.tv/NACEsportsC |
| 9:00AM – 3:00 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM | OW Bracket Play 🏅 Overwatch Semi-Final 1 🏅 Overwatch Semi-Final 2 | 🟣 Main Stream — twitch.tv/NACEsports & twitch.tv/OW_Esports |
| 9:00AM – 3:00PM | Smash Bracket Play | 🟣 B-Stream — twitch.tv/NACEsportsB |
📅 Sunday, April 27 — Grand Finals Day 2 (Call of Duty, Overwatch, Smash) 🏆
The final three (plus the Overwatch Open) will be crowned on Sunday at the Full Sail Fortress.
| Time (EST) | Match | Where to Watch |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00 AM | 🏆 Overwatch Open Grand Finals: Northwood vs. Winthrop | 🟣 Main Stream — twitch.tv/NACEsports & twitch.tv/OW_Esports |
| 1:00 PM | 🏆 Overwatch NACE Grand Finals | 🟣 Main Stream — twitch.tv/NACEsports & twitch.tv/OW_Esports |
| 12:30 PM 4:30 PM | 🏅 Call of Duty Lower Finals 🏆 Call of Duty Grand Finals | 🟣 C-Stream — twitch.tv/NACEsportsC 🟣 Main Stream — twitch.tv/NACEsports |
| 2:30 PM 8:00 PM | 🏅 Smash Bros. Ultimate Semi-Finals 🏆 Smash Bros. Ultimate Grand Finals | 🟣 B-Stream — twitch.tv/NACEsportsB 🟣 Main Stream — twitch.tv/NACEsports |
For the full schedule and up-to-date details, check out the NACE Grand Finals website.
Viewer rewards, aka drops, will also be available during the Overwatch matches.
The Teams to Watch
VALORANT
Winthrop · Maryville · WVU · St. Clair Saints · Cumberland Phoenix · Kennesaw State Gold · Stony Brook University · Rutgers
VALORANT features an incredibly stacked bracket, headlined by Maryville, the winner of last year’s NACE Grand Finals. Joining them include Winthrop University VALORANT, who nearly cinched a spot for VALORANT Challengers 2026 Stage 2. WVU, winners of Red Bull Dorm Ground 2025, are also making an appearance, where they’ll meet Rutgers and fight their established contenders.
Rocket League
WVU · Ball State RL Red · Cumberland University RL · Baylor · Akron Blue · St. Clair Saints · Fisher Falcons · ETSU RL
St. Clair Saints won the 2025 NACE Rocket League Title in the Fall, and will be facing off against West Virginia University, who appeared at last year’s NACE Grand Finals against Maryville, which won the Grand Finals title.
League of Legends
Maryville · Winthrop · GV Vikings · Converse University · St. Clair Saints · BPCU League · Stony Brook Seawolves · WKU Hilltoppers
Maryville and Winthrop, last year’s Grand Finals contenders, square off once again, after Maryville defeated Winthrop 3-0 in the Division One Spring Playoffs and are returning as last year’s NACE Grand Finals Champions. St. Clair also makes a return from last year’s semifinals bracket.
Overwatch 2 (NACE Varsity)
Winthrop · St. Clair Saints · NCSU Red · Cumberland Phoenix · Bellevue · UT Dallas · TAMUSA · BCU Chargers
Winthrop will be serving double duty by appearing in the top 8 for the NACE Varsity Competition and the Grand Finals for the OW Collegiate Open. St Clair was knocked out in the lower bracket finals for the OW Collegiate Open, and Bellevue has a shot at a very promising run, finishing farther than any other team (aside from Winthrop) in the OW Collegiate Open.
Overwatch 2 (OW Collegiate Open)
Northwood Blue · Winthrop
Two teams are getting sent over for the Overwatch Collegiate Open, and Northwood Blue will be facing off against Winthrop University. Northwood defeated Winthrop 3-1 in the Upper Bracket Final, where Winthrop got knocked down to beat Fisher College 3-0 in the Lower Finals.
Call of Duty
St. Clair Saints · Marshall University · Conestoga Condors · UNTD · Cumberland · LBCC Esports · West Virginia University
A note on this bracket: Akron was originally qualified but withdrew due to scheduling conflicts. St. Clair enters as one of the favorites having been a consistent CoD threat throughout the season and previous years.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Winthrop University · LCU Blue · UT Arlington · Stony Brook Seawolves · Oakland University · UT Dallas · Akron Blue · Wichita State
Another roster change: UNCG has been replaced by Wichita State, who also earned their spot by beating UNCG in the qualification round. Stony Brook enters as a favorite as the defending champions from last spring’s Grand Finals.
College Esports News will be in attendance at the NACE Grand Finals and covering all the action live throughout the event. Keep an eye out on our social media and website to catch all the coverage, starting this Thursday, April 23!
