Dublin, 16 September 2026 — Registration has opened for the tenth season of the Ireland Esports Collegiate Series, with Red Bull Ireland returning as Official Energy Drink Partner. The competition, which has run since the 2017/18 academic year, begins its 2026/27 season on 12 October.
More than 700 students from around sixteen third-level institutions across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland competed in the series during 2025/26, its largest year for participation to date. The series is run by Ireland Esports Leagues and is played across ten game titles, with fixtures on set nights through two eight-week semesters.
The tenth season is the first to run on a structure built out over the previous three, which added a second competitive tier, enhanced the broadcast operation and a new competition platform. Entry is open in two divisions.
The Open Division is the entry point and carries no requirement for an established team or prior competitive experience — several of the series' titles are individual competitions that students enter on their own. The Premier Division, which launched in 2025/26 with ten institutions fielding 38 teams, is contested between institutions and entered through each college's esports or gaming society. University College Dublin are the defending Premier Division champions.
"Ten seasons of this, five of them ours, and this is the one we've been building towards. The Open Invitational is the final piece that's been missing — a LAN you don't have to win your way into, because every student in this league should get the opportunity for one night in a room with a crowd, not just the ones who make a final."
An on-campus LAN for the Open Division
New for the tenth season, is an Open Division Invitational LAN in the spring of 2027, staged on university campuses using existing student gaming facilities rather than at a commercial venue.
The series has previously staged live ticketed finals; the Invitational is intended to widen access to the league's live events, with places prioritised for players who compete across both the Winter and Spring semesters rather than for competitive results.
Full criteria and host campuses will be confirmed during the season. The Premier Division National Finals follow in May, returning to a live LAN final after the success of the 2025/26 finals which were played on the Red Bull LIVE Stage at GamerFest.
Open Division finals weeks will also carry the series' live broadcast in December and April.
Changes for 2026/27
The full season calendar has been published in advance for the first time, with every competition date fixed. A luxury IEL never had in the past due to the ongoing improvements.
The Winter semester runs from 12 October to 6 December, with finals weeks for the Open Division from 7 December and the Premier Division from 14 December. The Spring semester runs from 8 February to 2 April, with finals weeks in April. The two divisions' finals weeks have been separated.
Key dates, 2026/27 season
When | What |
|---|---|
15 Sept 2026 | Registration opens |
12 Oct – 6 Dec | Winter semester, eight weeks of competition |
7–11 Dec | Open Division finals week, broadcast live |
14–18 Dec | Premier Division finals week |
8 Feb – 2 Apr 2027 | Spring semester, eight weeks of competition |
5–9 Apr | Open Division finals week, broadcast live |
12–16 Apr | Premier Division finals week |
April | Open Division Invitational LAN |
10-13 May | National Semi-Finals |
End May 2027 | Premier Division National Finals LAN |
International pathway
Players who competed in the Collegiate Series were named over the summer in Ireland's squad for the inaugural Esports Nations Cup, a nation-based competition organised by the Esports Foundation across 16 game titles with teams representing more than 100 nations.
The event was postponed in August and is now scheduled for November 2027 in Riyadh. Team Ireland is led by National Team Manager Ronan Monaghan, who is the Operations Lead for IEL when not on national duties. Ireland Esports Leagues operates the domestic competitive pathway and does not select or govern the national team.
Alongside player registration, Ireland Esports Leagues is recruiting volunteers into named roles across competition administration, casting, broadcast production and content for the season, with training provided and no prior experience required.
Find full details at collegiate.irelandesportsleagues.com.
Registrations are now open now at https://nemesis.nativzgaming.com/org/ireland-collegiate/register
