KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The 40-team field is set for the 68th annual NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship, as announced by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The field includes 23 automatic qualifiers from their respective conferences and 17 at-large selections.
Experience runs deep among this year’s contenders, with nine programs having previously lifted a national championship trophy. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) headlines that group with nine national titles, while Rio Grande (Ohio) has claimed two. The defending national champion, Grand View (Iowa), returns alongside six other one-time champions: Bethel (Ind.), Bethel (Tenn.), Dalton State (Ga.), Keiser (Fla.), MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) and Missouri Valley.
Lindsey Wilson also leads the tournament field in national championship experience, making its 33rd tournament appearance. Rio Grande ranks second with 26 appearances. Four programs are set to make their first appearance in the national tournament: Stanton (Calif.), Texas A&M San Antonio, Dordt (Iowa) and Paul Quinn (Texas).
Conference representation is led by the Heart of America Athletic Conference, which places five teams in the field. The Southern States Athletic Conference follows with four representatives. The Crossroads League, Mid-South Conference, Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, Red River Athletic Conference and Continental Athletic Conference each have three teams competing for the national title.
The 40 qualifiers bring a combined record of 519-133-100 into the championship, with the field collectively holding a .757 winning percentage.
Tournament action begins with the first round, where 16 teams will compete for a place in the second round. Two victories will be required to advance to the NAIA Men’s Soccer Championship Final Site, and those teams will need six wins to claim the championship trophy and Red Banner. The other 24 programs will open play in the second round, putting them five wins away from a national championship.
All first and second round contests will be available free of charge on the NAIA Network, with each host institution providing its broadcast. Fans can create a free account on the NAIA Network ahead of the opening matches.
The complete first- and second-round schedules, including match times as determined by the host institutions, will be posted on the men’s soccer championship page.
The NAIA’s selection show is also available to watch on its YouTube page for anyone who missed the live announcement. Watch it here!
Along with announcing the 40-team national tournament field, the NAIA also revealed the 16 institutions selected to host first- and second-round matches. These campuses will provide the stage for the opening rounds of the 2026 national tournament, with teams looking to keep their championship hopes alive on their home fields.
Four institutions will host both the men’s and women’s soccer first and second rounds next week: Marian (Ind.), Life (Ga.), Indiana Wesleyan and William Carey (Miss.).
| INSTITUTION | CONFERENCE | QUALIFICATION |
|---|---|---|
| Bellevue (Neb.) | Continental Athletic Conference (Independents) | Division Tournament Champion |
| Benedictine (Kan.) | Heart of America Athletic Conference | At Large |
| Bethel (Ind.) | Crossroads League | At Large |
| Bethel (Tenn.) | Mid-South Conference | Tournament Champion |
| Columbia (Mo.) | American Midwest Conference | Tournament Champion |
| Concordia (Neb.) | Great Plains Athletic Conference | At Large |
| Cumberland (Tenn.) | Mid-South Conference | At Large |
| Dalton State (Ga.) | Southern States Athletic Conference | At Large |
| Dordt (Iowa) | Great Plains Athletic Conference | Tournament Champion |
| Eastern Oregon | Cascade Collegiate Conference | Tournament Champion |
| Faulkner (Ala.) | Southern States Athletic Conference | At Large |
| Friends (Kan.) | Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference | Regular Season Champion |
| Georgia Gwinnett | Continental Athletic Conference (Independents) | Division Tournament Champion |
| Grand View (Iowa) | Heart of America Athletic Conference | Tournament Champion |
| Indiana Tech | Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference | Tournament Champion |
| Indiana Wesleyan | Crossroads League | At Large |
| John Brown (Ark.) | Sooner Athletic Conference | At Large |
| Keiser (Fla.) | The Sun Conference | Tournament Champion |
| Life (Ga.) | Southern States Athletic Conference | At Large |
| Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | Mid-South Conference | At Large |
| LSU Alexandria (La.) | Red River Athletic Conference | Tournament Champion |
| LSU Shreveport (La.) | Red River Athletic Conference | At Large |
| Marian (Ind.) | Crossroads League | Tournament Champion |
| Mid-America Christian (Okla.) | Sooner Athletic Conference | Tournament Champion |
| MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) | Heart of America Athletic Conference | At Large |
| Missouri Valley | Heart of America Athletic Conference | At Large |
| Oklahoma Wesleyan | Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference | Tournament Champion |
| Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) | Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference | Tournament Champion |
| Ottawa (Kan.) | Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference | At Large |
| Paul Quinn (Texas) | HBCU Athletic Conference | Tournament Champion |
| Rio Grande (Ohio) | River States Conference | At Large |
| Rocky Mountain (Mont.) | Cascade Collegiate Conference | Regular Season Champion |
| Stanton (Calif.) | Continental Athletic Conference (Independents) | At Large |
| Texas A&M San Antonio | Red River Athletic Conference | At Large |
| The Master’s (Calif.) | Great Southwest Athletic Conference | Tournament Champion |
| Truett McConnell (Ga.) | Appalachian Athletic Conference | Tournament Champion |
| Union Commonwealth (Ky.) | Appalachian Athletic Conference | Regular Season Champion |
| William Carey (Miss.) | Southern States Athletic Conference | Tournament Champion |
| William Penn (Iowa) | Heart of America Athletic Conference | Regular Season Champion |
| WVU Tech (W.Va.) | River States Conference | Tournament Champion |
About the NAIA
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small college athletics programs dedicated to character-driven, education-based athletics. Since 1937, the NAIA has balanced high-level competition with holistic student-athlete development through its commitment to The Right Way to Play®. Each year more than 87,000 NAIA student-athletes compete in college athletics, earn over $1.3 billion in financial aid, and pursue opportunities to participate in 30 national championships. naia.org | @NAIA | #TheRightWayToPlay
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