The HSNI is going to the Pacific Northwest for the first time.
October 3, 2025 by Charlie Eisenhood in News
Ultiworld and Competitive Ultimate Training (CUT) are pleased to announce the eighth annual High School National Invite!
The tournament is set to be held on June 12-13, 2026, in Salem, Oregon, as the event continues a geographical rotation on a rolling three-year basis. It is the first time that the HSNI has been held in the Pacific Northwest, home to some of the best high school programs in the country, and just the second time in the western US after Salt Lake City played host in 2023. The fields will be at Pioneer Sports Park, approximately one hour from both Portland and Eugene.
“Hosting the High School National Invite in Salem is incredibly exciting for us,” said HSNI Tournament Director Juan Acosta. “The city’s vibrant community, coupled with landmarks like the Oregon State Capital and the picturesque Willamette River, offers an ideal setting for showcasing the nations top high school ultimate teams.”
The Pioneer Sports Park is owned by the Capital Futbol Club and features meticulously maintained grass fields; multiple lighted turf fields; and two turf fields, including the Ed Davison stadium field, that are 2 of just 11 pitches in the United States that meet the FIFA Quality PRO International Standards for artificial turf, alongside stadiums like Lumen Field (Seattle Seahawks) and Providence Park (Portland Timbers).
HSNI 2026 will remain on a Friday-Saturday schedule, rather than the standard Saturday-Sunday. This allows the tournament to accommodate teams that do not compete on Sunday for religious reasons and enables the tournament to host the finals later on Saturday evening with a chance for the rest of the tournament’s players to enjoy the games.
32 high school teams — 16 open, 16 girls — will again be invited to play in the event based on performance during the 2025-2026 fall and spring seasons. Beginning in March, Ultiworld will begin releasing biweekly high school top 25 power rankings for each division. Rankings will be based on performance during the season and compiled with a combination of Ultiworld editorial judgment and coaches’ input. Bids will be offered on a rolling basis, particularly to teams that finished their season in the fall or to those at greater distances that require more time to plan travel.
“We’re honored that CUT and Ultiworld have chosen Salem as the host city for the 2026 High School National Invite,” said Joey Jewell, the Chief Sales Officer & Executive Director of the Salem Area Sports Commission. “Pioneer Sports Park is the perfect stage to welcome some of the nation’s top high school ultimate athletes, and this event marks an exciting opportunity to showcase our community on a national level. We can’t wait to welcome the athletes and their families and share the experience of Oregon’s Sports Capital.”
In mid-May, a final set of power rankings will be released; any remaining bids will be offered at that time. If teams decline their invitations, more slots will be opened up in order of the rankings.
Updated Qualifying Tournaments!
We are excited to bring back the High School National Invite qualifying tournaments. These tournaments provide an opportunity for teams to qualify for HSNI earlier in the season and start planning for their trip earlier: the winners from each elite division will earn an automatic bid to the High School National Invite. Along with returning qualifiers like Seattle Invite, YULA Invite, and PVI, HSNI is adding the Hopkins Hustle, a major Minnesota tournament each May, to the list this year. Neuqua Knockout and Amherst Invite are not returning as qualifiers.
This year’s full slate of qualifying tournaments is:
– Seattle Invite Boys Div. (October 4-5, Seattle, WA)
– YULA Invite (March 2026, Arlington, VA)
– River Campus Classic (March 28-29, Nashville, TN)
– Seattle Invite Girls Div. (TBD, Seattle, WA)
– Spaghetti Western (May 2-3, Stockton, CA)
– Hopkins Hustle (May 2026, Blaine, MN)
– Pioneer Valley Invitational (May 16-17, Northampton, MA)
2026 qualifying tournament rules:
– Invitations only extended to high school teams or approved consortiums (club and combo teams are not eligible for HSNI)
– Only the winner of the top division will be invited. Ex: If there is an Open A and Open B division, only the Open A winner will be invited
– Winners of both the Open and Girls divisions will be invited
- HSNI retains the right to withhold an invite due to field strength
Invited Teams & More Information
Last year’s champions, the Arlington (MA) open division team and the Roosevelt (WA) girls division team, will both receive automatic invitations to the 2026 tournament, as will the 2025 runners-up, Edina (MN) open and South Eugene (OR) girls.
Ultiworld will continue its high school reporting in 2026 in the lead up to the event and will again be on the ground for reporting and live video coverage.
More information about the tournament is available on the HSNI website. If you have questions about the event or want to provide information about your team’s interest in the event and/or results this season, please email [email protected].
Check out all of the Ultiworld video and UltiPhotos photo coverage from the 2025 HSNI in Pennsylvania!
