UEC National Finals 2026: Four Games, 26 Universities & One Stage

The University Esports Championship (UEC) National Finals 2026 by NoScope Gaming concluded in Kolkata on Sep 23, with Lovely Professional University (LPU) claiming the overall championship. The three-day season 3 finals were held at Offbeat CCU from Sep 21, 2026. It featured universities competing across Valorant (PC), BGMI (Mobile), EA Sports FC 26 (Console) (EAFC 26), and Tennis Esports (VR).

LPU's overall victory came through its participation across multiple verticals.

The university won EAFC 26, finished eighth in BGMI, and placed third in Valorant, earning enough combined championship points to claim the overall title. MAKAUT Bengal finished second, while MIT-World Peace University (MIT-WPU), Pune, placed third.

UEC National Finals 2026 Results Across Four Games

The overall trophy was designed around universities maintaining active participation across the competition rather than relying on one title. A university needed representation across three games and a place in the LAN finals to build its championship-point total.

The four individual competitions produced separate champions.

Valorant

Atlas Skilltech University, Mumbai, won the Valorant championship after defeating ILEAD from MAKAUT Bengal in the final. LPU finished third.

The remaining top eight positions were:

• 4th: Techno India University
• 5th: MAKAUT, Kolkata
• 6th: SRM University, Andhra Pradesh
• 7th: VIT Vellore
• 8th: MIT-WPU, Pune

Atlas Skilltech University's Samar was named Valorant MVP and received a ZOWIE 400Hz monitor. Having won the MVP title at the previous edition, the award also continued his personal UEC record.

The Valorant competition used a single-elimination format. Matches were best-of-one through the quarterfinal stage, while the semifinals and final were played as best-of-three series.

BGMI

MAIMS, New Delhi, won the BGMI championship, with MIT-WPU placing second and MAKAUT finishing third.

The remaining positions were:

• 4th: DUxSOL
• 5th: Bhawanipore Global Campus
• 6th: BESC Kolkata
• 7th: SVU Bengal
• 8th: LPU

BGMI used a cumulative leaderboard, with six matches played per day across all three days, while DUxSOL was named the MVP.

EAFC 26

LPU's Satyam won the EAFC 26 competition. Ankit from Reva University, Bengaluru, finished second, while Farhan of MIT-WPU placed third.

The remaining results were:

• 4th: Debanjan, VIT Vellore
• 5th and 6th: Ebad Qazi, MIT-WPU, and Chirag Thapa, NESC
• 7th and 8th: Alraz, Calcutta University, and Rajit, The Heritage College

The EAFC 26 competition began with a round-robin stage before moving into the quarterfinals, semifinals, and an aggregate final.

Tennis Esports

Tennis Esports ended with joint winners Hriday from VIT Vellore and Aditya from SRM University, Andhra Pradesh.

The format started with a points leaderboard before progressing to head-to-head semifinals and finals.

Across the four verticals, UEC season 3 offered a total prize pool of INR 15L, with the top eight ranked competitors in each discipline receiving a share.

NoScope Gaming's UEC Model Goes Beyond Tournament Results

The competitive results were only one part of the UEC National Finals 2026.

NoScope Gaming has positioned the championship as a pathway from university competition to professional esports. The model combines LAN competition, campus participation, and exposure to large-scale events.

Sabyasachi Bose, known in Valorant esports as Antidote, returned to UEC in a different role this season.

In an interview with Outlook Respawn, Bose said, "I'm a part of the UEC. In my first year, I was a guest. This time I am hosting it as the head of esports. It's a one-of-a-kind event; it's the biggest university championship in India, or you can say in South Asia."

He also pointed to the atmosphere created by university rivalries and the opportunity UEC provides to developing players. The competition was built around institutions fielding their own teams rather than mixed university rosters. 

The event's spectator program was also designed to make the finals more than a closed LAN tournament. Doors opened at 9 am each day and remained open until 8 pm. Visitors could access dedicated experience zones alongside the main competition.

The first day saw strong attendance from students, friends, and families, with Valorant generating particularly high crowd interest. The second day expanded the entertainment offering with a live cypher, cosplay, and two F1 simulators, alongside other interactive activities. Gyan Gaming, one of India's prominent Free Fire creators, attended the event, alongside several other gaming creators.

The final day had an electrifying atmosphere, with the largest crowd response as players competed for the remaining trophies and prize money.

From University Esports to the Professional Stage

For the NoScope Gaming Head, Abhinandan Mukherjee, the event is part of a much larger objective. Rather than focusing exclusively on established professional esports competitions, NoScope has attempted to build a route for players at the university level.

Mukherjee explained that the organization aims to create a “bridge between professionals and classrooms." He argued that a sustainable esports ecosystem requires a pathway through which athletes can enter competitive structures and progress to higher levels.

That approach began with universities, and that exposure has already produced opportunities beyond UEC.

Precious D'Souza, a participant from NoScope’s system, qualified for the EA Sports FC 26 Pro Road to EWC Last Chance Qualifier in Paris. Vimalraj Jayachandran, winner of the World Tennis Esports Championship (WTEC) India Finals held as part of UEC 2025, represented Team India at the WTEC Global Finals in Las Vegas. He went on to win the WTEC title, becoming the first-ever Indian VR Tennis Esports World Champion.

For NoScope, these examples are part of the reason for continuing to invest in collegiate competition.

More Than 250 Colleges Take Part in NoScope's Ecosystem

The UEC National Finals 2026 was reached through a qualifying structure that extended across India.

More than 15 LAN qualifiers were conducted between January and May 2026. NoScope subsequently added an online Last Chance Qualifier in July to give additional universities another route to the finals.

Mukherjee stated that more than 250 colleges participate in NoScope's qualifiers each year, with more than 65K participants across the organization's broader activities.

Participation has increased over the different seasons.

Unlike online-first qualification systems, UEC's format uses LAN qualifiers. The system has also resulted in students travelling between cities to compete. Teams from Bangalore and Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh were among those that travelled for qualifying opportunities.

UEC season 3 featured 26 participating universities.

The field also created several local and intercity rivalries. These included the Kolkata contest between Techno India University and MAKAUT, the Delhi matchup between GGSIPU and Delhi University, and the meeting between defending champions: VIT Vellore and MIT-ADT.

Players See UEC as More Than Prize Money

The player experience was another recurring theme throughout the finals.

An Atlas Skilltech University player, whose team eventually won the Valorant tournament, told Outlook Respawn that the latest edition represented a substantial improvement, particularly in the venue and overall presentation.

The team also described how its route to UEC began almost spontaneously. The players were in Pune when they encountered the UEC qualifier. After deciding to participate, a player travelled from his hometown specifically for the qualifier, and the team eventually secured its place at the national finals. The team also plans to continue competing in collegiate esports events.

That focus on experience was visible beyond the competitive results. NoScope has consistently presented UEC as an event that participants remember after leaving the venue, rather than solely as a tournament with a prize pool.

Mukherjee pointed to conversations with participants who had travelled long distances to attend the championship. "I remember this vivid conversation I was having with a couple of players who travelled 40 hours by train to come down and participate at UEC. These people never said anything about the prize money," he said. The response is one of the strongest indicators of what NoScope wants UEC to represent.

What Comes Next for UEC?

NoScope now faces the challenge of scaling the championship while retaining the collegiate focus that has defined its first three seasons.

Mukherjee said the organization's ambition is to make each edition larger than the previous one, with more colleges, professors, teams, and university administrators supporting esports within their campuses.

The UEC National Finals 2026 also showed how NoScope’s collegiate esports structure can support competition across multiple game categories. Valorant delivered the strongest crowd response, BGMI brought large-scale mobile competition, EAFC 26 added another competitive format, and Tennis Esports introduced a VR-based discipline.

At the same time, the event demonstrated the structure NoScope has been building around university esports.

UEC’s multi-game, LAN-first structure gives grassroots players a clearer route from campus competition to larger esports opportunities. If NoScope can keep expanding university participation while strengthening scouting, coaching, and professional pathways, UEC could help make grassroots esports more sustainable in India.