Road to the Championship

National Participation
There are 211 NCAA member institutions that sponsor Division I Men’s Soccer teams, but only 202 programs are eligible to compete in the National Championship, due to 9 programs still in the re-classification process. The 211 programs support approximately 5,700 Men’s Soccer student-athletes across the country.

Selection Process
The 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship provides for a field of 48 teams to compete in a single-elimination tournament. Twenty-three conference champions qualify automatically; the balance of the field is selected at large by the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Committee. The teams will be seeded so that 16 of the 48 teams will receive a First Round bye and automatically advance to the Second Round.

Selection Show | November 13, 2023
The 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship bracket will be announced the Monday prior to the first round of competition. 

First Round | November 16, 2023
Sixteen single-elimination first-round games will be conducted at non-predetermined campus sites. The winning team from each game will advance to the second round.

Second Round | November 19, 2023
Sixteen single-elimination second-round games will be conducted at non-predetermined campus sites. The winning team from each game will advance to the third round.

Third Round | November 25 - 26, 2023
Eight single-elimination third-round games will be conducted at non-predetermined campus sites. The winning team from each game will advance to the quarterfinals. 

Quarterfinals | December 1 - 2, 2023
Four single-elimination quarterfinals games will be conducted at non-predetermined campus sites. The winning team from each of the four quarterfinals will advance to the championship final site in Louisville, Kentucky.

Men's College Cup | December 8 & 11, 2023
The 2023 NCAA Division I Men's College Cup will be held at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. Two single-elimination semifinal games will be held on Friday, December 8, 2023. The two teams winning in the semifinals will advance and compete in the single-elimination national championship game which will take place on Monday, December 11, 2023.