Seedings and Pairings Announced for 2026 Big South Men's Soccer Championship
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – For the fourth consecutive year,
High Point University is the Big South Conference Men’s Soccer outright regular-season champion, and is the No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament, it was determined following the conclusion of the conference season. The top six teams in the final standings qualify for the league’s postseason championship, which will be contested Nov. 4, 8 & 14 at campus sites. The defending champion Panthers finished the 2026 regular-season with 17 points and a 5-0-2 conference record for their eighth all-time outright Big South title, and receive a bye into the Semifinals.
Gardner-Webb earned the No. 2 seed and bye into the Semifinals following its second-place standing with 16 points (5-1-1 Big South).
UNC Asheville and
Winthrop tied for third in the standings with identical 3-3-1 records for 10 points, and the Bulldogs receive the No. 3 seed based on their 3-0 victory over the 4-seeded Eagles on Oct. 9.
Longwood and
USC Upstate tied for fifth in the standings with nine points and 3-4-0 conference records to qualify for the remaining Big South Conference Tournament spots. The Lancers’ 2-0 victory over the Spartans on Sept. 26 give Longwood the No. 5 seed, with Upstate at No. 6.
The first round matches on Wednesday, Nov. 4, feature No. 3 UNC Asheville hosting No. 6 USC Upstate at 2:00pm, with No. 4 Winthrop hosting No. 5 Longwood at 7:00pm. The Winthrop/Longwood winner will travel to top-seeded High Point on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 7:00pm, while the Asheville/Upstate victor will visit No. 2 Gardner-Webb on Sunday, Nov. 8 at a time to be determined.
The 2026 Big South Men’s Soccer Championship will be played at higher seeds throughout the tournament, and every match of the championship will be shown on ESPN+. The Big South’s tournament champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship. The full schedule is as follows:
CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET
Wednesday, Nov. 4 – First Round at higher seeds (ESPN+)
#6 USC Upstate at #3 UNC Asheville, 2:00pm
#5 Longwood at #4 Winthrop, 7:00pm
Sunday, Nov. 8 – Semifinals at higher seeds (ESPN+)
4/5 Winner at (1) High Point, 7:00pm
3/6 Winner at (2) Gardner-Webb, TBD
Saturday, Nov. 14 – Championship Final at highest remaining seed (ESPN+)
TBD at TBD, TBD
Game times subject to change