2026 NCTA National Collegiate and High School Championships

April 24-26, 2026
Chapel Hill, NC

The NCTA is pleased to announce that the 2026 National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships and the 2026 NCTA National High School Championships will take place on Apr. 24-26, 2026 in Chapel Hill, NC. This event is planned to be a 12.0 USATKD sanctioned event for the collegiate championship divisions, with those collegiate championship divisions also serving as a qualifier for the USATKD National Championships analogous to the USATKD State Championships. The High School and NCTA Cup events will not receive USATKD ranking points.

NCTA President: Mr. Daniel Chuang
Tournament Host School: Carolina Taekwondo Club, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Tournament Contact Info: ncta.contact@gmail.com
Eligibility Contact Info: ncta.eligibility@gmail.com

Venue

Woollen Gymnasium
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
300 South Rd, Chapel Hill, NC 27599

Parking information can be found here

Results

Championship Division results coming soon
NCTA Cup results can be found by clicking here

Tournament Information

Divisions and Brackets

Click here to download the division sheets
Friday division call orders
Saturday sparring brackets

Note 1: Designated poomsae for black belts in all divisions will be drawn randomly from all current WT poomsae from Taegeuk 7 through Jitae per the new FISU and WT rules.

Note 2: To compete in the 3v3 Team Poomsae or Team Sparring divisions on Sunday, April 26, competitors must have competed in at least one NCTA-recognized regional collegiate event from their home region during the 2025-2026 academic year. If no regional event is held within 400 miles of thier school, schools may qualify for a tournament at a regional collegiate event outside of their home region.

Note 3: Daedo Gen 2 will be used for the NCTA Championships, and the tournament will follow the latest USATKD competition rules.

Note 4: For color belt poomsae, all divisions with more than 20 athletes will start in a prelims rounds. The top half scorers in the prelim arounds will then advance to a semifinals round. The top 8 scorers in the semifinals round will then proceed on to the final round. This is a change from the previously stated format for color belt poomsae in the tournament packet. However, the designated poomsae stated in the tournament packet still remains the same.

Note 5: IVR will be used for black belt sparring only. For color belt sparring divisions, coaches will still be able to ask for a coach challenge.

Tournament Packet

Click here to download the tournament packet

Schedule

Thursday, April 23, 2026
6p-8p Registration/Check-in (only for pending/unconfirmed athletes)

Friday, April 24, 2026
Download the Friday competition schedule here
Collegiate Championship Individual, Pair and Team Poomsae + Breaking + Demonstration
High School Championship Individual, Pair and Team Poomsae
2p-6p & 7p-8p Weigh-ins for Saturday sparring – athletes sparring on Sat AND Sun only need to weigh-in once; Friday weights will be used for both Sat & Sun sparring
7p or 30 min after poomsae NCTA General Assembly (Woollen Gymnasium)

Saturday, April 25, 2026
Collegiate Championship Individual Sparring
High School Championship Individual Sparring
2-4 pm Weigh-ins for Sunday-only sparring – for athletes only competing for the NCTA Cup
Awards Ceremony – Championships Division

Sunday, April 26, 2026
NCTA Cup 3v3 Poomsae and Sparring – All Divisions
Awards Ceremony – NCTA Cup

Registration

All athletes and coaches must be USA Taekwondo Members, and coaches must pass a background check, SafeSport Certification and Associate Coach Certification.

Board request form can be found by clicking here – deadline April 19, 2026

Spectator tickets ($20) are available for puchase at https://nctakick.com/tkd.

Hotels

Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Durham Southpoint
7807 Leonardo Dr, Durham, NC 27713
Phone: (919) 806-8200
129.00 USD per night
Book your group rate for National Collegiate Taekwondo Championship – link expired

Hilton Garden Inn Durham/Southpoint
7007 Fayetteville Road
Durham, NC, 27713
919-544-6000
144.00 USD per night
Group Code NCT
Book your room: National Collegiate Taekwondo Championship – link expired

Airports

Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) – 16 mi.

Age/Citizenship Eligibility

Collegiate Academic Eligibility Information

Collegiate Championship Division: Athletes (undergraduate or graduate) who graduated from college in either 2025, or 2026, or who are half-time status or more between Jan. 13 and April 26, 2026, will be eligible. Athletes do not have to be US citizens. Competitors in the Collegiate Championship division must be born in 2008 or earlier.

All collegiate athletes in both the team trials and championship divisions MUST do one of the following to verify collegiate eligibility of half-time status or greater by March 20, 2026 (Team Trials) or April 11, 2026 (Championships):

Use parchment.com to send an official transcript and use the address nctaeligibility@gmail.com at the bottom of the form on that page, OR
Check your school website for the option to have them send a transcript or proof of graduation directly to nctaeligibility@gmail.com, OR
Email a clear photo or scan of the 2026 NCTA Eligibility Form, signed by your college registrar, to nctaeligibility@gmail.com by April 11, 2026.
If competing in Team Trials, proof must be sent to nctaeligibility@gmail.com by March 20, 2026.

Failure to complete this step will result in an athlete not being allowed to compete. Please email nctaeligibility@gmail.com with any problems or concerns.

High School Divisions Academic Eligibility Information

High competitors in the High School Championship division must be born in the years 2007 through
2012 and be currently enrolled in high school.

High school athletes must verify High School student status via the 2026 NCTA High School Eligibility Form and Email a clear photo to nctaeligibility@gmail.com by April 11, 2026.