NAIA Men’s Soccer Returns to Orange Beach Starting Today

OBA Staff • December 1, 2025

Sportsplex last hosted NAIA men’s finals in 2010 and 2011

Orange Beach Soccer Field - Photo by City of Orange Beach

Orange Beach, Ala. — (OBA) — Orange Beach will host the NAIA Men’s Soccer Championship at the Orange Beach Sportsplex. Games are set for the Championship Stadium field. Sixteen college teams will travel to compete for a national title. Local officials say the tournament will bring in a lot of visitors.

The 67th Annual NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship will run December 1–8 at the Orange Beach Sportsplex. It follows first and second round matches played November 20–22, 2025, at campus locations.

This is a 16-team, single-elimination event. Teams that advance to Orange Beach will play quarterfinal, semifinal and championship matches over eight days, with the winner receiving the Red Banner as the National Champion.

The NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship has crowned college champions since 1959, beginning with an inaugural tournament in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. Since then it has rotated among host cities nationwide, including sites in Kansas, Alabama, California and Florida.

Orange Beach previously hosted the Men’s Soccer National Championship in 2010 and 2011 at the Sportsplex. Men’s champions were crowned on the Gulf Coast at the end of those tournaments.

The Orange Beach Sportsplex opened in 2001 and includes softball, baseball, football and soccer fields, a three-court sand volleyball area and a 1,500-seat stadium with a press box, locker rooms and concessions.

NAIA championship director Austin Bennett has called Orange Beach Sportsplex “the ideal venue” for the Men’s Soccer National Championship, citing its beachside location and the chance to provide student-athletes and fans a memorable experience.

The championship uses a 16-team, single-elimination bracket, with matches held over eight days. The association estimates about 480 participants and roughly 1,000 fans and staff members travel to the final site each year.

Fans can follow the 67th Annual NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship through brackets, schedules and streaming links provided by the NAIA. Details are posted on the NAIA website.

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