The NCAA men's lacrosse championship bracket for 2026 is set, featuring top teams like Notre Dame, Virginia, and Princeton. The tournament kicks off with opening-round games shortly after Selection Sunday.
NCAA men's lacrosse bracket 2026: Schedule, TV channels, live streams, scores for college championship originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The march to Memorial Day is here for the nation's top college lacrosse teams.
A trip through a tough bracket awaits before we get to the two teams contesting the sport's annual holiday afternoon championship game, though, beginning with a pair of opening-round games just three days after Selection Sunday.
This year's NCAA tournament appears wide open. Notre Dame has held down the top spot most of the year, but the Irish have lost a pair of games to the team hosting this year's semis and final, Virginia. Top seed Princeton is right there with Notre Dame, along with defending champion Cornell and rising power Richmond.
While Notre Dame could well win its third national title in four years, it will have plenty of competition on the way. Here's everything you need to know to watch this year's tournament.
The bracket consists of 18 teams, with 10 automatic and eight at-large selections. The top eight schools are seeded nationally, and the four lowest-ranked automatic qualifiers will play in the two opening-round games. See the full game schedule below.
The NCAA men's lacrosse championship 2026 schedule includes opening-round games starting just three days after Selection Sunday.
Top favorites for the 2026 NCAA men's lacrosse tournament include Notre Dame, Virginia, Princeton, and defending champion Cornell.
The NCAA men's lacrosse championship 2026 will be broadcast on various TV channels and available for live streaming, details of which can be found in the tournament's official coverage.
The NCAA men's lacrosse championship game in 2026 is scheduled for Memorial Day, following the completion of the tournament bracket.
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The 2026 NCAA men's lacrosse tournament will air on multiple ESPN platforms, including the first round and quarterfinals on ESPNU, the semis on ESPN2 and the championship game on ESPN.
All of those games will also be available to stream via fubo. Fans can also stream those games and the two opening-round games with the ESPN app.
Fubo offers a free trial for new subscribers, so you can try the service before you buy. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox and 100+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)
| Matchup | Time (ET) | Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Marist 10, Stony Brook 6 | — | — |
| Jacksonville 13, Robert Morris 7 | — | — |
| Matchup | Time (ET) | Watch |
|---|---|---|
| No. 3 North Carolina 24, UAlbany 6 | — | — |
| No. 8 Penn State 10, Army 6 | — | — |
| Johns Hopkins 9, No. 7 Cornell 8 (OT) | — | — |
| Duke 14, No. 4 Richmond 12 | — | — |
| Matchup | Time (ET) | Watch |
|---|---|---|
| No. 2 Notre Dame vs. Jacksonville | 12 p.m. | ESPNU, ESPN app, fubo |
| No. 1 Princeton vs. Marist | 2:30 p.m. | ESPNU, ESPN app, fubo |
| No. 6 Syracuse vs. Yale | 5 p.m. | ESPNU, ESPN app, fubo |
| No. 5 Virginia vs. Georgetown | 7:30 p.m. | ESPNU, ESPN app, fubo |
| Matchup | Time (ET) | Watch |
|---|---|---|
| TBD vs. TBD | 12 p.m. | ESPNU, ESPN app, fubo |
| TBD vs. TBD | 2:30 p.m. | ESPNU, ESPN app, fubo |
| Matchup | Time (ET) | Watch |
|---|---|---|
| TBD vs. TBD | 12 p.m. | ESPNU, ESPN app, fubo |
| TBD vs. TBD | 2:30 p.m. | ESPNU, ESPN app, fubo |
Semifinals and final will be played at Charlottesville, Virginia
| Matchup | Time (ET) | Watch |
|---|---|---|
| TBD vs. TBD | 12 p.m. | ESPN2, ESPN app, fubo |
| TBD vs. TBD | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN2, ESPN app, fubo |
| Matchup | Time (ET) | Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Semifinal winners | 1 p.m. | ESPN, ESPN app, fubo |
Here are the last 10 NCAA men's lacrosse champions and runners-up. There was no tournament in 2020 due to COVID-19.
| Year | Champion | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Cornell | Maryland |
| 2024 | Notre Dame | Maryland |
| 2023 | Notre Dame | Duke |
| 2022 | Maryland | Cornell |
| 2021 | Virginia | Maryland |
| 2019 | Virginia | Yale |
| 2018 | Yale | Duke |
| 2017 | Maryland | Ohio State |
| 2016 | North Carolina | Maryland |
| 2015 | Denver | Maryland |