2026 NXL season
The 2026 NXL season is the United States national tournament season of the National Xball League. Its calendar comprises four completed events and the scheduled World Cup in November. Competition includes professional five-player X-Ball, professional three-player X-Ball, WNXL, divisional X-Ball, conventional five-player and three-player competition, and Classic formats.[1][2][3][4][5]
As of 2 November 2026, Edmonton Impact led the professional five-player standings. Tampa Bay Damage led the professional three-player East standings, Detroit Infamous led the West standings, and the Heroines led professional WNXL. These were standings before World Cup, rather than final season championships.[1]
United States calendar
[edit]Dates include the full registered event programme, which could begin before the principal Friday–Sunday five-player competition.[2][3][4][5][6]
| Event | Dates | Venue | Location | Status on 2 November 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 NXL Tampa Bay Open | 19–22 March 2026 | Raymond James Stadium event site | Tampa, Florida | Completed |
| 2026 NXL Mid-Atlantic Open | 30 April–3 May 2026 | Dover Motor Speedway | Dover, Delaware | Completed |
| 2026 NXL Midwest Open | 25–28 June 2026 | Joyce Park | Fairfield, Ohio | Completed |
| 2026 NXL Lone Star Open | 17–20 September 2026 | Audubon Park | Garland, Texas | Completed |
| 2026 NXL World Cup | 11–15 November 2026 | World Cup site opposite Gaylord Palms Resort | Kissimmee, Florida | Scheduled |
Raymond James Stadium programme
[edit]The Tampa opener included a Stadium Takeover on Thursday, 19 March. The announced programme placed professional three-player competition, women's and amateur three-player X-Ball finals, the Summit Awards and selected professional and WNXL five-player preliminary matches inside Raymond James Stadium.[7]
The evening five-player programme included Tampa Bay Damage against Red Legion, Edmonton Impact against TonTon Arsenal, San Antonio X-Factor against Houston Heat, PaintballFIT against Seattle Uprising, and two WNXL matches. The Summit Awards recognised performances and contributions from the preceding season.[7]
Playing formats
[edit]Five-player X-Ball
[edit]The registration records specified the following standard match lengths and mercy limits:[3][4][5]
| Division | Match time | Mercy limit |
|---|---|---|
| Professional | 15 minutes | Six-point lead |
| WNXL professional | 15 minutes | Five-point lead |
| Semi-Professional and Division 2 | 15 minutes | Five-point lead |
| Divisions 3 and 4 | 12 minutes | Four-point lead |
| Division 5 | 10 minutes | Three-point lead |
Three-player X-Ball
[edit]Professional three-player competition at the first three events was divided into East and West groups, with separate results and standings. At Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, the registered format was twelve-minute X-Ball with a five-point mercy limit.[1][3][4]
Amateur three-player X-Ball was listed separately, using six-minute matches with a three-point mercy limit. This was distinct from conventional three-player competition, whose registered games lasted three minutes.[3][4]
The published World Cup registration programme instead specified a combined professional three-player X-Ball category with seven-minute matches and a three-point mercy limit.[6]
Other formats
[edit]The completed events also included conventional Division 3, Division 4 and Division 5 five-player competition, women's amateur five-player, amateur ten-player, Classic five-player and seven-player, and conventional amateur, intermediate and novice three-player divisions.[8][9][10][11]
The registered game lengths were five minutes for conventional five-player, seven minutes for Classic seven-player, ten minutes for amateur ten-player and three minutes for conventional three-player competition.[3][4][5]
Professional five-player results
[edit]Red Legion won the Tampa opener. Tampa Bay Damage won Mid-Atlantic and Lone Star, while Edmonton Impact won Midwest.[8][9][10][11]
| Event | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Open | Red Legion | Edmonton Impact |
| Mid-Atlantic Open | Tampa Bay Damage | Edmonton Impact |
| Midwest Open | Edmonton Impact | Seattle Uprising |
| Lone Star Open | Tampa Bay Damage | Red Legion |
Standings before World Cup
[edit]The leading five teams after Lone Star were:[1]
| Position | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edmonton Impact | 733 |
| 2 | Red Legion | 720 |
| 3 | Tampa Bay Damage | 661 |
| 4 | PaintballFIT | 605 |
| 5 | TonTon Arsenal | 571 |
Professional three-player competition
[edit]The published event records contain East and West professional three-player results for Tampa, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest.[8][9][10]
| Event | East winner | West winner |
|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Open | Tampa Bay Damage | San Antonio X-Factor |
| Mid-Atlantic Open | Royal City Seadogs | Edmonton Impact |
| Midwest Open | Tampa Bay Damage | San Diego Dynasty |
The Lone Star results and registration programme did not list a professional three-player category. Its absence from those records is not treated here as evidence of a cancelled tournament.[5][11]
Standings before World Cup
[edit]| Group | Position | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| East | 1 | Tampa Bay Damage | 573 |
| East | 2 | Orlando Red Legion | 558 |
| East | 3 | Royal City Seadogs | 482 |
| West | 1 | Detroit Infamous | 533 |
| West | 2 | San Antonio X-Factor | 523 |
| West | 3 | Edmonton Impact | 503 |
These totals reflect the three completed conference rounds shown in the official standings.[1]
MLPB Cup
[edit]Mid-Atlantic included a separate four-team MLPB Cup three-player X-Ball competition. Its registration record specified twelve-minute X-Ball matches.[3]
| Position | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Tampa Bay Damage |
| 2 | San Antonio X-Factor |
| 3 | Edmonton Impact |
| 4 | Royal City Seadogs |
These results were published separately from the Mid-Atlantic East and West professional three-player standings.[9]
No additional MLPB Cup result was listed in the completed Midwest or Lone Star results consulted. The World Cup registration programme consulted did not identify a separate MLPB Cup category.[6][10][11]
WNXL competition
[edit]The Heroines won both completed professional WNXL events.[8][10]
| Event | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Open | Heroines | New Jersey High Rollers |
| Midwest Open | Heroines | Femmes Fatale |
Before World Cup, the Heroines led the professional standings with 200 points, followed by Femmes Fatale with 189 and Dallas Vibe with 183.[1]
Tampa also included women's three-player X-Ball, won by Dallas Vibe ahead of Femmes Fatale and the Heroines. This competition was recorded separately from professional five-player WNXL.[8]
Women's amateur five-player results are included below.
Divisional event winners
[edit]The following tables reproduce the winning team names in the individual event records. Names displayed in later season standings can differ.[8][9][10][11]
Divisional X-Ball
[edit]| Division | Tampa Bay | Mid-Atlantic | Midwest | Lone Star |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-Professional | Blast Camp | Blast Camp | New York Wrecking Crew | Las Vegas Shock |
| Division 2 | Gulf Coast Ragtag Army | AG Knights | Gulf Coast Ragtag Army | AG Knights |
| Division 3 | Legacy Gorillas | Legacy Gorillas | Outlaw AP Prime | WAR |
| Division 4 | Hydra Kidz | New Jersey Filthy 4 | Hydra Kidz | Defy Kidz |
| Division 5 | New Jersey Filthy 5 | New Jersey Filthy 5 | New Jersey Filthy 5 | Team Blank |
Conventional five-player competition
[edit]| Division | Tampa Bay | Mid-Atlantic | Midwest | Lone Star |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division 3 | Miami Kings | Papeletto | KNOXVILLE KNIGHTS | NMI |
| Division 4 | NMI | INTENT | Hydra | Elite Dynasty |
| Division 5 | Alliance | Ragtags | Nola Savages | Nola Savages |
| Women's amateur | Sparrows | Sparrows | Sparrows | SMSC Ladyz |
The Midwest results also listed AG Kids as the sole Youth Advanced five-player entry, with zero points.[10]
Ten-player and Classic competition
[edit]| Division | Tampa Bay | Mid-Atlantic | Midwest | Lone Star |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amateur ten-player | Chicago Aftershock | MB55 | LVL | PHILIPPINES |
| Classic seven-player | Image | Team Smoke | Image | Aftershock |
| Classic five-player | Image | Image | Image | PHILIPPINES |
Conventional three-player competition
[edit]| Division | Tampa Bay | Mid-Atlantic | Midwest | Lone Star |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amateur | Asian Assassins | Shitters | Big Bill's Warriors | Outlaw AP Society |
| Intermediate | Tampa Bay Exile | ThunderCats | INTENT | NMI |
| Novice | Rag Tag Deliverance | NJ CRASH | Bear Ridge 5 | Team Hyperion Black |
Amateur three-player X-Ball
[edit]| Event | Winner |
|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Open | WAR |
| Mid-Atlantic Open | Team Smoke |
| Midwest Open | WAR |
All-Star competition
[edit]Mid-Atlantic also included an NXL All-Star Game, with the East team placed first and the West team second.[9]
Scheduled World Cup
[edit]World Cup was scheduled for 11–15 November in Kissimmee. The organiser advertised the site at 5990 West Osceola Parkway, opposite Gaylord Palms Resort; PBLeagues used 6000 West Osceola Parkway for the event venue.[6][12]
The announced programme included professional and amateur three-player X-Ball on Wednesday, followed by professional and divisional competition from Thursday to Sunday. Registered categories included professional and WNXL X-Ball, Semi-Professional and Divisions 2–5, Masters X-Ball, conventional five-player and three-player competition, amateur ten-player, Classic Mounds formats and the Commander's Cup.[6][12]
The organiser also advertised Veterans International and collegiate competition. The NCPA maintained a separate registration listing for its World Cup tournament on 14–15 November.[12][14]
Professional qualification
[edit]The NXL announced a four-team Champions Club comprising Edmonton Impact, Red Legion and Tampa Bay Damage, the leading three United States teams, together with Ranger Warsaw. These teams were guaranteed Sunday playoff places and were to play one another to determine their quarter-final seeding.[13]
The announcement also identified Ranger Warsaw, ALA Warsaw and LTF as European qualifiers, and TPPCrew as the Latin American qualifier for the professional World Cup field.[13]
These were qualification and scheduling announcements. No World Cup results had been recorded as of 2 November 2026.
Season championship status
[edit]At the date covered by this article, World Cup remained unplayed. The standings above therefore identify points leaders rather than final season champions. Final World Cup placings and season-end promotion and relegation outcomes are not assigned in this version.[1][6][12]
See also
[edit]- National Xball League
- Women's National Xball League
- 2025 NXL season
- 2026 NXL World Cup
- Paintball in the United States
References
[edit]- PBLeagues – 2026 National XBall League season rankings, consulted 2 November 2026.
- PBLeagues – 2026 Tampa Bay Open: dates, venue and registration information.
- PBLeagues – 2026 Mid-Atlantic Open: dates, venue and formats.
- PBLeagues – 2026 Midwest Open: dates, venue and formats.
- PBLeagues – 2026 Lone Star Open: dates, venue and formats.
- PBLeagues – 2026 World Cup: scheduled dates, venue and registered formats, consulted 2 November 2026.
- National Xball League – Raymond James Stadium Takeover, 19 March 2026 programme.
- PBLeagues – 2026 Tampa Bay Open results.
- PBLeagues – 2026 Mid-Atlantic Open results.
- PBLeagues – 2026 Midwest Open results.
- PBLeagues – 2026 Lone Star Open results.
- National Xball League – 2026 World Cup announcement and programme, consulted 2 November 2026.
- National Xball League – 2026 World Cup professional draw and Champions Club announcement, displayed in the official news feed and consulted 2 November 2026.
- PBLeagues – NCPA at NXL World Cup, scheduled for 14–15 November 2026.