All league information with match times and bracket sizes can also be found on your Competitions page.
Updates
JV Leagues will not offer any playoff matches.
NSESA schools must play from home or a centralized location, unless otherwise approved by the state.
Game titles will maintain the same match format throughout the entire Spring ‘26 season.
Eligible Playoff Teams:
Hearthstone Solos - No limit.
Mario Kart ™ 8 Deluxe - Two (2) teams max per school.
VALORANT - One (1) team max per school.
Middle School - No limit.
All teams should review the NSESA State Game Rules.
Important Dates
Event | Dates |
Enrollment Opens | 1/2/2026 |
Enrollment Closes | 1/20/2026 |
Preseason | 1/26/2026 |
Regular Season | 2/2/2026 |
Playoffs | 3/23/2026 |
Championships | 4/17/2026 - 4/18/2026 |
High School Match Times
Weekday | Game/Activity | Match Time |
Tuesday |
| 4:15 PM CST |
Thursday |
| 4:15 PM CST |
Middle School Match Times
Weekday | Game/Activity | Match Time |
Thursday |
| 4:15 PM CST |
Titles that are updated on a yearly cadence are subject to unique match and rulebook changes until the upcoming release date is confirmed by our partners. Esports programs should not purchase these titles until the version used for PlayVS competitions has been confirmed.
NSESA Spring ‘26 Schedule
All schools will play a total of 6 matches over 7 weeks. Schools will select 1 week as part of their Break Week Inclusion. There will be no matches scheduled for the school’s selected break week across all enrolled esport titles.
Preseason is optional but participation is strongly recommended!
Holidays
Holiday | Date |
Presidents’ Day | 2/16/2026 |
Preseason
Date: Weeks of 1/26/2026
Week | Date |
1 | 1/26/2026 |
Regular Season
Date: Weeks of 2/2/2026 - 3/16/2026
Week | Date |
1 | 2/2/2026 |
2 | 2/9/2026 |
3 | 2/16/2026 |
4 | 2/23/2026 |
5 | 3/2/2026 |
6 | 3/9/2026 |
7 | 3/16/2026 |
Playoffs
Dates: 3/24/2026 to 4/9/2026
Bracket Sizes:
Hearthstone Solos Division 1 - Top 8
Hearthstone Solos Division 2 - Top 32
Hearthstone Solos Division 3 - Top 32
Mario Kart ™ 8 Deluxe Division 1 - Top 16
Mario Kart ™ 8 Deluxe Division 2 - Top 32
Mario Kart ™ 8 Deluxe Division 3 - Top 32
Mario Kart ™ 8 Deluxe Division 4 - Top 32
VALORANT Division 1 - Top 16
VALORANT Division 3 - Top 16
VALORANT Division 4 - Top 16
Middle School - Top 8
Day | Date | Title | Competing Divisions |
Tuesday | 3/24/2026 | Mario Kart ™ 8 Deluxe VALORANT Middle School | All Divisions All Divisions |
Thursday | 3/26/2026 | Hearthstone Solos | All Divisions |
Tuesday | 3/31/2026 | Mario Kart ™ 8 Deluxe VALORANT Middle School | All Divisions All Divisions |
Thursday | 4/2/2026 | Hearthstone Solos | D2 & D3 |
Tuesday | 4/7/2026 | Mario Kart ™ 8 Deluxe | D2 & D3 & D4 |
Thursday | 4/9/2026 | Hearthstone Solos | D2 & D3 |
High School Top 4 & Finals will occur off-platform at the NSESA Live Event.
All middle school matches will occur on the PlayVS Platform.
Middle School Championships
Day | Date | Title | Match |
Tuesday | 4/7/2026 | Mario Kart ™ 8 Deluxe | Finals |
High School Championships (Off-Platform)
Date: 4/17/2026 - 4/18/2026
Venue: Doane University - 1014 Boswell Ave, Crete, NE 68333
This event will not take place on the PlayVS platform. NSESA will share out the matches occurring at the live event once the brackets have been finalized.
Day | Date | Title | Divisions |
Friday | 4/17/2026 | All Titles | D2 & D4 |
Saturday | 4/18/2026 | All Titles | D1 & D3 |
Reminders
Any team that forfeits two (2) or more regular season matches will not be eligible for Playoffs or Championships.
Playoff start dates and times may vary per league based on factors like bracket size, state league accommodations, broadcast accommodations, or game launch accommodations.
More specific playoff information will be found in PlayVS on your league competition page midway through the regular season.
Due to the length of period for playoffs to take place before finals, Playoff matches will occur on different days of the week than the regular season.
Winning teams may also be required to play multiple times in a week as they progress through the Playoffs.