After a year hiatus, the NIRSA Championship Series’ National Soccer Championships return for 2021! November 18-20, 2021, 96 teams from across the country will head to Foley, Alabama to compete in the Women’s and Men’s divisions of the tournament for the coveted title of National Champions. Twenty-four women’s teams and 24 men’s teams will qualify for the Championship Division through regional play; the 48 teams participating in the Men’s and Women’s Open Divisions will be determined by a lottery draw happening on October 1, 2021.

Sign-up by September 27

Teams that are interested in participating in the 2021 NIRSA National Soccer Championships will want to make sure they enter the NIRSA Championship Series Soccer Lottery Draw! This lottery draw is an opportunity for all club soccer teams to have a chance to be a part of this year’s tournament.

The 27th annual NIRSA National Soccer Championships are a short two months away and we’re all excited to be heading to Foley for a return to soccer action! The Champ Series will again hold a lottery draw to select the teams who will participant in the Open Division of both the Men’s and Women’s divisions. To be eligible for the Open Division Lottery Draw, teams must complete a registration through IMLeagues between 6:00am PST on September 23 and 2:00pm PST on September 27. 

On October 1, our legendary master of ceremonies—and voice of the NIRSA Championship Series—David Peters of Florida State University will draw registered team names from a hat to determine the lucky 24 women’s and 24 men’s teams who will compete in the Open Division of this year’s tournament.

David’s undergraduate degree in meteorology and vast experience commentating on NIRSA Championship Series tournament competition—across various sports—make him the perfect host for this highly anticipated, special annual edition of The Series Talk Podcast. “David’s calming voice would be right at home hosting an episode of ESPN’s SportsCenter,” says Valerie McCutchan, Director of National Sports Programs. “The lottery draw is easily one of the most watched episodes of the Series Talk podcast each year, in no small part thanks to the enthusiasm and professionalism that David brings to the broadcast. He really does a great job of bringing registered teams a sense of anticipation and excitement for the upcoming tournament,” she adds.

Once David has finished with the lottery, invitations will go out to all selected teams and each team will be given until 5:00pm PST on October 7 to accept and pay the entry fee to finalize their spot.

Championship Division at-large bids

The Championship Division will include 24 men’s and 24 women’s teams. Teams must secure participation in this division by qualifying. Qualifying standards are detailed on the Play website. Regional tournaments take place in the final weekends of October.

The lucky teams who land a spot through the lottery draw don’t need to worry about qualifying for the tournament through regional league play.

At-large bids for the Championship Division will be extended on Monday, November 1. Teams that are interested in being considered for at-large bids are encouraged to notify their regional coordinator by Sunday, October 31.

Universities are limited to one team per division.

Tips for teams

Teams signing up for the lottery should have funds in place to travel and ensure a commitment from the team to travel before registering.

For a quick and easy registration process, the team rep’s contact info and the sport club director’s email address should be readily available. Teams can find more information on the NIRSA Championship Series website, including the dates for when rosters and forms are due!

  • For more information, contact NIRSA National Sport Programs Coordinator Nicole Jackson.