The University of Virginia will host the 2026 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship Weekend, basically the sport’s Final Four, at Scott Stadium next May.
Which means: we’ll get to see 60,000 people at Scott Stadium again.
Just not for a football game.
“We extend our gratitude to the NCAA and the Division I Men’s Lacrosse Committee for entrusting us with the opportunity to host Championship Weekend,” said Carla Williams, the athletics director at UVA.
“We have great respect for the history and tradition of this iconic event, and UVA is honored to welcome collegiate men’s lacrosse to Charlottesville,” Williams said.
The opportunity to host came about after the original host site, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., the home of the NFL’s New England Patriots, was selected as one of the host sites for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.
UVA served as the host of Championship Weekend in 1977 and 1982, back when lacrosse was still very much a niche sport on the U.S. sports scene.
The men’s lax Final Four hasn’t been contested on a college campus since the 2002 Championship Weekend was held at Rutgers University.
To say that this is a golden opportunity for UVA Athletics would be an understatement.
“The Division I Men’s Lacrosse Committee is excited to head to Charlottesville for a fantastic championship experience in 2026,” said Matt Colagiovanni, the D1 Men’s Lacrosse Committee chair and deputy athletic director at Rutgers. “We are thrilled to work with the University of Virginia staff and local community to provide an outstanding championship experience for the student athletes as the event returns to a college campus setting.
“This is a tremendous opportunity, as fans from across the country will experience Charlottesville for the first time as the host of the national semifinals and the national championship game,” Colagiovanni said. “We thank Virginia for their strong bid to host, and the committee looks forward to collaborating closely to make this a memorable event for everyone involved.”
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Chris Graham
