Division III Football Championship

Format and selection

NCAA championship selection

40 teams in six rounds. First-round byes precede campus games and a January 3, 2027 Stagg Bowl.

1. The 40-team field contains 29 conference automatic qualifiers and 11 at-large teams selected using the NCAA Power Index.
2. The NPI combines winning percentage, strength of schedule, home/away weighting and quality wins. The top eight seeds receive bracket protection under the 2026–27 bracketing policy; geography also affects placement.

These are documented selection procedures. They do not explain why a particular participant was chosen unless the source expressly records that decision.

History

The NCAA has organized this national championship since 1973.

A single-elimination bracket determines the champion. The field size and qualifying arrangements changed over time.

Sources and coverage

• DIII 2026 manual ↗
• NCAA Division III championship event details ↗

The manual’s venue paragraph names Canton; the NCAA’s current championship event page names Salem. This edition follows the current event page.

Previous editions