2026 NXL Tampa Bay Open
The 2026 NXL Tampa Bay Open was the opening tournament of the 2026 National Xball League United States season. It took place from 19–22 March 2026 at Raymond James Stadium and its surrounding grounds in Tampa, Florida. The opening day's programme was held inside the stadium, with competition continuing on the stadium's south property from 20–22 March. [1][2][3]
Red Legion won professional five-player X-Ball, defeating Edmonton Impact 6–5 in the final. The Heroines won professional WNXL X-Ball. Professional three-player X-Ball crowned separate conference champions: Tampa Bay Damage in the East and San Antonio X-Factor in the West. [4][5]
Venue
[edit]The event registration address was Raymond James Stadium, 3600 North Himes Avenue, Tampa, Florida. The stadium's published calendar distinguished the stadium bowl and cove programme on 19 March from tournament activity on the south property from 20–22 March. [1][3]
Raymond James Stadium programme
[edit]The NXL's Stadium Takeover took place on Thursday, 19 March. The published programme ran from 8 am to 10 pm, with free spectator admission. [2]
Professional three-player X-Ball was divided into East and West conferences, each containing 12 teams. The East competition occupied the morning programme and the West competition followed in the afternoon. WNXL and Amateur three-player X-Ball finals were also scheduled inside the stadium. [1][2]
The programme included the Major League Paintball Summit Awards, recognising achievements from the 2025 season, followed by professional NXL and WNXL five-player preliminary matches under floodlights. [2]
The advertised five-player fixtures included:
- PaintballFIT against Seattle Uprising.
- Red Legion against Tampa Bay Damage.
- San Antonio X-Factor against Houston Heat.
- Edmonton Impact against TonTon Arsenal.
- The Heroines against New Jersey High Rollers.
- Femmes Fatale against Dallas Vibe. [6]
Formats
[edit]The tournament included professional, WNXL, Semi-Pro and Division 2–5 X-Ball; professional, WNXL and Amateur three-player X-Ball; conventional divisional and women's five-player competition; Amateur, Intermediate and Novice three-player competition; Classic Open five-player and seven-player competition; and Amateur ten-player competition. [1][4]
Published registration settings included:
- Professional five-player X-Ball: 15 minutes, six-point mercy rule.
- WNXL, Semi-Pro and Division 2 X-Ball: 15 minutes, five-point mercy rule.
- Division 3 and Division 4 X-Ball: 12 minutes, four-point mercy rule.
- Division 5 X-Ball: ten minutes, three-point mercy rule.
- Professional three-player X-Ball: 12 minutes, three-point mercy rule.
- WNXL three-player X-Ball: seven minutes, three-point mercy rule.
- Amateur three-player X-Ball: six minutes, three-point mercy rule. [1]
Professional five-player X-Ball
[edit]Twenty teams entered professional X-Ball. Ten advanced from the preliminary stage, with the leading six receiving byes to the quarter-finals. [5]
Red Legion defeated San Diego Dynasty 6–0 in the quarter-finals and CK Hurricanes 5–1 in the semi-finals. Edmonton Impact defeated Detroit Infamous 4–2 before overcoming PaintballFIT 4–3 in overtime. Red Legion won the final 6–5. [5]
| Round | Winner | Score | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarter-final | PaintballFIT | 5–4, overtime | Tampa Bay Damage |
| Quarter-final | Edmonton Impact | 4–2 | Detroit Infamous |
| Quarter-final | Red Legion | 6–0 | San Diego Dynasty |
| Quarter-final | CK Hurricanes | 4–2 | San Antonio X-Factor |
| Semi-final | Edmonton Impact | 4–3, overtime | PaintballFIT |
| Semi-final | Red Legion | 5–1 | CK Hurricanes |
| Final | Red Legion | 6–5 | Edmonton Impact |
Source: PBLeagues match results. [5]
Professional three-player X-Ball
[edit]Professional three-player X-Ball produced separate East and West conference results, rather than a single combined championship final. [2][4]
| Conference | Champion | Final score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| East | Tampa Bay Damage | 3–0 | Orlando Red Legion |
| West | San Antonio X-Factor | 3–2 | Detroit Infamous |
Source: PBLeagues conference results. [4][5]
WNXL
[edit]Eleven teams entered professional WNXL five-player X-Ball. New Jersey High Rollers defeated Bear Ridge Saints 3–2 in overtime in the quarter-finals and Femmes Fatale 3–2 in overtime in the semi-finals. The Heroines defeated Dallas Vibe 2–0 in the other semi-final before beating High Rollers 5–0 in the final. [1][5]
Dallas Vibe won the separate WNXL three-player X-Ball competition, defeating Femmes Fatale 3–1 in the final. Sparrows won the women's conventional five-player category. [4][5]
Divisional results
[edit]The following table lists the winners in every other category with published final placings. [4]
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Semi-Pro X-Ball | Blast Camp |
| Division 2 X-Ball | Gulf Coast Ragtag Army |
| Division 3 X-Ball | Legacy Gorillas |
| Division 4 X-Ball | Hydra Kidz |
| Division 5 X-Ball | New Jersey Filthy 5 |
| Division 3 five-player | Miami Kings |
| Division 4 five-player | NMI |
| Division 5 five-player | Alliance |
| Amateur ten-player | Chicago Aftershock |
| Classic Open seven-player | Image |
| Classic Open five-player | Image |
| Amateur three-player X-Ball | WAR |
| Amateur three-player | Asian Assassins |
| Intermediate three-player | Tampa Bay Exile |
| Novice three-player | Rag Tag Deliverance |
Broadcast
[edit]Major League Paintball provided online coverage. The Stadium Takeover programme advertised live viewing through the league's YouTube channel, while MLPB+ carried event broadcasts and subsequent match replays. [2][7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- PBLeagues – Tampa Bay Open: dates, venue, entries and formats, 19–22 March 2026.
- National Xball League – Major League Paintball Stadium Takeover: programme and conference structure, 19 March 2026.
- Raymond James Stadium – Schedule of Events, March 2026.
- PBLeagues – Tampa Bay Open: final divisional and conference placings, March 2026.
- PBLeagues – Tampa Bay Open: match results and knockout brackets, March 2026.
- National Xball League – 2026 Tampa Bay Open: event information and advertised stadium fixtures.
- Major League Paintball Plus – 2026 Tampa Bay Open: event broadcasts and match replays.