NJCAA Selects College of DuPage as 2026 Flag Football Invitational Host

The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) announced that the College of DuPage will host the 2026 NJCAA Flag Football Invitational. The tournament will take place in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, from Wednesday, May 6, through Saturday, May 9. The invitational will be comprised of six (6) teams split into two groups of three teams. The group games will be used to determine the bracket seeding for the six teams.

Florida Gateway is the three-time defending champion. The Timberwolves defeated Hesston (KS) 20-0 in 2023 and 45-6 in 2024. Both of those finals were held in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2025, the Timberwolves crushed fellow conference member Daytona State (FL) 68-13 in the flag finals event held outside Kansas City, Missouri. FGC allowed only 19 points across the entire tournament.

NJCAA teams were expected to compete in the Women's College Flag Finals at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, on the same dates. That event is scheduled to have 20 teams from the NAIA, NCAA, and NJCAA compete. The Women's College Flag Finals Ryzer event registration page still indicates that NJCAA teams are eligible to compete in the Florida event.

The College of DuPage has hosted the NJCAA's Division III men's football championship annually since 2021. The Chaparrals have won all five of those events. The Flag Football invitational will be hosted by DuPage for the first time. The NJCAA's press release states that tickets will cost $10 per day and all games will be streamed free on the school's Hudl page.