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Championship Weekend is Back in Charlottesville: Your Complete Guide to the 2026 NCAA Final Four
The last time lacrosse crowned a national champion in Charlottesville, Virginia, it was 1982. North Carolina beat Johns Hopkins 7-5 at Scott Stadium, Ronald Reagan was in his first year in office, and the sport had roughly the same cultural footprint as competitive badminton.
That was 44 years ago. And on Saturday, the game comes home.
Scott Stadium — 61,500 seats, the jewel of UVA’s campus, perched in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains — will host the 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship Weekend. Three days of lacrosse. Two semifinals. A D-II final. A D-III final. And on Memorial Day Monday, one team lifts the trophy.
Four teams made the trip. Two are supposed to be here. Two aren’t. And that’s exactly what makes this tournament special.
The Bracket
| Semifinal | Matchup | Time | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semifinal 1 | (1) Princeton vs. Duke | Saturday, May 23, 12:00 PM ET | ESPN2 |
| Semifinal 2 | (2) Notre Dame vs. (6) Syracuse | Saturday, May 23, 2:30 PM ET | ESPN2 |
| National Championship | Winners | Monday, May 25, 1:00 PM ET | ESPN |
Plus: Tufts vs. RIT (D-III Final, Sunday noon, NCAA.com) and (1) Adelphi vs. (1) Tampa (D-II Final, Sunday 4 PM, NCAA.com).
Three days of lacrosse in one of the best college towns in America on Memorial Day Weekend. If you need me, I’ll be in Charlottesville.
Semifinal 1: (1) Princeton vs. Duke — Saturday, Noon
Princeton (15-2)
The Tigers are the No. 1 overall seed for a reason. They’ve been the most complete team in the country all season — a defense that suffocates, a faceoff unit that controls possession, and an offense that runs with discipline and precision.
John Dunphey is the engine. The senior midfielder has been on a tear over the last ten games — 15 goals and 14 assists in that stretch, nearly tripling his career per-game average. He’s the guy Princeton didn’t know they had until this season, and now they can’t play without him.
Chad Palumbo — the seventh overall pick in the PLL Draft by the Carolina Chaos — is the sniper on attack, the finisher who makes Princeton’s offensive sets lethal in the final five seconds of the shot clock.
Parker Reynolds, a freshman, has emerged as a legitimate secondary scoring threat out of the midfield.
Princeton’s defense is the story of this team. The Tigers give up fewer than eight goals per game and play a patient, possession-oriented style that drives opponents crazy. They don’t beat you with flash. They beat you by never giving you the ball.
How they got here: Beat Penn State in the quarterfinals — a statement win against a physical Big Ten squad that many expected to make a deep run.
Duke (11-4)
And then there’s Duke. The Blue Devils were not supposed to be here. An 11-4 record. The losers of three of their last five regular season games. A team that looked like they were heading for a first-round exit.
Then the tournament started and Duke became a different team.
They knocked off No. 4 Richmond in the first round — traveling to the Spiders’ own field and winning, 14-12 — then came home and dismantled Georgetown 16-6 in the quarterfinals. That’s the kind of road win in the first round that announces you’ve arrived. Duke is playing free, playing fast, and playing with the confidence of a team that has nothing to lose and knows it.
Jon Scheyer is even in on the action…
.@JonScheyer shared some words of wisdom after practice today 😈🙌
Thanks for coming, Coach! pic.twitter.com/uXezNUtgmf— Duke Men’s Lacrosse (@DukeMLAX) May 20, 2026
The matchup: Princeton’s discipline vs. Duke’s chaos.
The Tigers want to slow it down, control the faceoff, and grind. Duke wants to run, push the pace, and turn this into an up-and-down affair where anything can happen. If Princeton dictates the tempo, they win. If Duke turns this into a track meet, we’ve got a game.
My pick: Princeton. The No. 1 seed is the best team in the tournament for a reason, and their defensive structure is built to handle exactly the kind of momentum-based offense Duke runs. But if Duke gets hot early and Princeton falls behind for the first time in weeks? All bets are off. This Duke team has already proven it doesn’t care about your seed.
Semifinal 2: (2) Notre Dame vs. (6) Syracuse — Saturday, 2:30 PM
This is the game. This is the one that’s going to be talked about for years regardless of who wins. And it might be the last college lacrosse game two future legends ever play.
Notre Dame (14-4)
Kevin Corrigan is in his 38th season at Notre Dame. Thirty-eight. He’s the longest-tenured active Division I men’s lacrosse coach in the country. He won the national championship in 2023 and 2024 — back-to-back titles that cemented the Irish as the modern dynasty.
Now he’s going for a three-peat — something that hasn’t been done in men’s lacrosse since Syracuse’s run of 1988 and 1989 with the Gait brothers — the 1990 title, while celebrated at the time, was later vacated by the NCAA after Paul Gait was found to have played while ineligible, leaving the last officially recognized three-peat to Johns Hopkins in 1978–1980.
The roster has turned over since those championship runs, but the culture hasn’t. Notre Dame plays with a discipline and maturity that belies the youth on the roster. Will Angrick (15 goals, 12 assists on the season), Jalen Seymour (13 goals, 5 assists), and Josh Yago lead an offense that averages 13.3 goals per game while allowing just 8.6. That +4.7 goal differential tells you everything — the Irish win by controlling both ends.
How they got here: Beat Johns Hopkins in the quarterfinals — a matchup loaded with storylines given Hopkins’ storied history and the Blue Jays’ own championship aspirations.
Syracuse (13-5)
Joey Spallina is the all-time leading scorer in Syracuse lacrosse history.
Let that sink in. Syracuse. The program that produced the Gait brothers, Mikey Powell, Casey Powell, and basically half the Mount Rushmore of college lacrosse. And Joey Spallina — the kid from Mt. Sinai, Long Island — passed them all.
How fired up is Joey Spallina to be headed back to Championship Weekend?
“It’s just a f***ing blessing just to wear No. 22.”
Live on ESPN’s airwaves pic.twitter.com/FqKSIwAmN7— Ashley Wenskoski (@AshleyWenskTV) May 16, 2026
308+ career points. 75 points this season alone — 30 goals, 45 assists. A Tewaaraton finalist. The best playmaker in the sport, playing on the biggest stage, in potentially his final college game. He’s averaging 4.69 points per game as a senior. His career assist total ranks in the top 15 in D-I history.
And he got here the hard way. Syracuse beat No. 3 seed UNC 13-11 in the quarterfinals — on the road, in Chapel Hill, against a Tar Heel team that had Dominic Pietramala coming off a 10-goal performance in the first round. Spallina and the Orange went into a hostile environment and took the game from the home team. That takes a special kind of player and a special kind of program.
Gary Gait — yes, that Gary Gait, one of the greatest to ever hold a stick — is in his fifth year as Syracuse’s head coach. Michael Leo and Finn Thomson provide the secondary scoring Syracuse needs, and the defense has been vastly improved from earlier in the season.
The matchup: This is legacy vs. legacy.
Corrigan going for a three-peat vs. Gait coaching the program he made famous. Spallina trying to add a national championship to the greatest statistical career in Syracuse history. Notre Dame’s defense — which held opponents to 8.6 goals per game — trying to contain a player who averages nearly 5 points every time he steps on the field.
If Notre Dame can limit Spallina’s assists — force him to score rather than distribute — they have the defensive depth to win. If Spallina gets the ball moving and Syracuse’s secondary guys (Leo, Thomson, Luke Rhoa) start finishing, the Irish could be in real trouble.
My pick: I want to say Notre Dame because three-peats don’t happen and you don’t bet against Kevin Corrigan in May. But something about this Syracuse team — the way they’ve played in the tournament, the way Spallina elevates in big moments, the way Gait has this group believing — tells me this is the year the streak ends. Give me Syracuse in a one-goal game that everyone will be talking about on Memorial Day morning.
Players to Watch
The Must-See List for Championship Weekend:
| Player | School | Position | Why You’re Watching |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joey Spallina | Syracuse | A/M, Sr. | All-time Syracuse scoring leader. 308+ career points. Tewaaraton finalist. This might be his last college game — and he’s the best show in the sport. |
| John Dunphey | Princeton | M, Sr. | 15 goals/14 assists in last 10 games. The late-bloomer having the best season of his career when it matters most. |
| Chad Palumbo | Princeton | A, Sr. | 7th overall PLL Draft pick. Lethal finisher who makes Princeton’s patient offense explode in the final seconds. |
| Will Angrick | Notre Dame | A | Key cog in the three-peat machine. 15 goals, 12 assists. The kind of player who won’t show up in highlights but controls the game. |
| Jalen Seymour | Notre Dame | A | 13 goals, 5 assists. Physical presence who can score in tight and creates space for others. |
| Michael Leo | Syracuse | M, Sr. | Captain. Secondary scoring threat who’s been on fire in the tournament. If he’s cooking, Syracuse is dangerous. |
| Finn Thomson | Syracuse | M, Sr. | Captain. Does the dirty work that lets Spallina operate. If you’re scouting Syracuse, watch Thomson’s off-ball movement. |
The Venue: Scott Stadium
Scott Stadium holds 61,500 for football. It won’t be full for lacrosse — it never is — but the atmosphere at an outdoor championship in a venue this size, on UVA’s campus, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, is going to be unlike anything the sport has seen in years.
Charlottesville is a lacrosse town.
UVA has seven men’s national championships (1972, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2011, 2019, 2021).
The local community has embraced the sport for decades. When the NCAA decided to bring Championship Weekend back here for the first time since 1982, it wasn’t just a scheduling decision — it was a homecoming.
UVA athletics director Carla Williams said it best: “Charlottesville is one of the best towns in America. The local community has embraced lacrosse over the years. I’m happy the rest of the lacrosse world can take in the sport in such a great place on the best weekend the game has to offer.”
Ironically, however, with the spotlight literally in Charlottesville this weekend, AD Williams cut ties with longtime UVA coach Lars Tiffany just this past week. No question there will be lots of whispers and ears burning throughout the weekend.
Fan Travel Guide: Your Charlottesville Championship Weekend
Planning the trip? Here’s everything you need.
🎟️ Tickets
- Single-day reserved seating available at ncaatickets.com
- Tickets start at $27-28 on the secondary market (SeatGeek has Saturday semis from $28)
- Groups of 20+ get a $5 discount — contact UVA Athletics at 434-924-8821
- Premium options: President’s Box (all-inclusive food/beverage + midfield view), suites ($10,500 all-session, 24 tickets + 4 parking passes), loge seating, and north end zone cabanas
🚗 Parking
- Tier 1 (Navy lots, closest): $130 all-session / $30-50 single-day
- Tier 2 (Orange lots): $110 all-session / $30-50 single-day
- Yellow lots (JPJ Arena): $15-40 single-day — free shuttle to stadium
- Red lots (Fontaine): Shuttle available
- Lots open at 8:00 AM each day
- Buy parking passes in advance at virginiasports.evenue.net
🏟️ Game Day Schedule
| Saturday 5/23 | Sunday 5/24 | Monday 5/25 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lots open | 8 AM | 8 AM | 8 AM |
| Fan Zone (Observatory Hill) | 10 AM | 10 AM | 10 AM |
| Gates open | 11 AM | 11 AM | 12 PM |
| Game 1 | Noon — Princeton vs. Duke | Noon — Tufts vs. RIT (D-III) | 1 PM — National Championship |
| Game 2 | 2:30 PM — Notre Dame vs. Syracuse | 4 PM — Adelphi vs. Tampa (D-II) | — |
🍽️ Where to Eat
Charlottesville’s food scene is seriously underrated. The Visit Charlottesville tourism board has a full guide at visitcharlottesville.org/lacrosse-championship-charlottesville, but here are the highlights:
- Brunch: Seven must-try spots with locally sourced ingredients
- Burgers: Eight top joints — you’re going to need fuel between games
- Late night: 13 spots open after the final whistle
- Pizza: Six must-try spots for the post-game crew
- Hidden gems: 10 restaurants the locals don’t want you to know about
- Groups: Book ahead for groups of 6-20+ — restaurants fill up fast on championship weekend
🍷 Wine Country
This is Virginia wine country. Over 20 local wineries won Gold Medals in the 2026 Virginia Governor’s Cup. Blenheim Vineyards — owned by Dave Matthews, Charlottesville’s most famous adopted son and the founder of the Dave Matthews Band — has live music both Saturday and Sunday of championship weekend. I can only guess Mikey Powell will make an appearance there…
If you’ve got downtime between sessions, the wine trail is 20 minutes from campus.
🏨 Book Early
Memorial Day Weekend + Championship Weekend = sold-out hotels. If you haven’t booked yet, check Charlottesville and the surrounding Albemarle County area. Airbnb is your friend.
The Big Picture
This is one of the best Championship Weekend fields we’ve had in years.
You’ve got the No. 1 overall seed trying to prove they’re the real deal.
You’ve got a Cinderella in Duke that nobody saw coming.
You’ve got a dynasty in Notre Dame going for something that hasn’t been done in over four decades by any program that didn’t subsequently have its title stripped.
And you’ve got the greatest scorer in Syracuse history playing what might be his last college game on the biggest stage in the sport.
All of it — in Charlottesville. On Memorial Day Weekend. In a stadium that can hold 61,500 people. In a town that loves lacrosse as much as anywhere in the country.
See you at Scott Stadium.
– JB