NACE announces Spring 2026 Grand Finals

The National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) will return to Full Sail University in April for the Spring 2026 NACE Grand Finals, presented by ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG).

According to a release, the event — scheduled for April 23rd–26th 2026 — will host 48 Varsity teams from across North America, all competing on LAN at the university’s Orlando Health Fortress and Full Sail Live venues.

It marks the latest edition of NACE’s headline collegiate championship and the continuation of its partnership with ASUS ROG, which will supply gaming desktops and monitors throughout the weekend.

A key addition for 2026 is the debut of the official Overwatch Collegiate League on LAN. NACE confirmed that the Top eight Varsity teams and the top two Open teams will compete at the Grand Finals following the association’s partnership with Activision Blizzard.

The multi-title event will also crown champions across League of Legends, VALORANT, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Rocket League and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, accompanied by on-site fan activities and event broadcasts.

Executive Director Riley Long said the Grand Finals would ‘reflect the pinnacle of Varsity competition,’ adding that the LAN environment reinforced NACE’s eligibility requirements and in-person competition standards.

Long continued: “Bringing Overwatch Collegiate to LAN through our partnership with Blizzard to showcase Varsity and Open competition is also an exciting addition to this year’s NACE Grand Finals.”

As with previous editions, Full Sail University students — including those enrolled in esports production, event management and creative degree programmes — will contribute to planning and operating the championship as part of NACE’s experiential learning initiatives.

Sari Kitelyn, Director of Esports at Full Sail University, highlighted the value of student involvement across production and live event teams.

“This championship represents the highest level of collegiate competition, and it also serves as a powerful hands-on learning experience for our students,” Kitelyn said.

She added that collaboration with industry professionals had become a defining feature of the Grand Finals partnership: “That combination of elite competition and experiential education, paired with professional guidance, is what makes this partnership so meaningful.”