The 2026 NCAA Division III Football Championship Game, more commonly referred to as the 2026 Stagg Bowl or Stagg Bowl LII, was a postseason college football game scheduled played on January 4, 2026, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. It determined a national champion in NCAA Division III for the 2025 season. The game began at 8:00 p.m. EST, and aired on ESPN and ESPN+. The game featured the two finalists of the 40-team single elimination playoff bracket, Wisconsin–River Falls and North Central; Wisconsin–River Falls won 24–14 to claim their first national championship on their first trip to the Stagg Bowl.
Teams
The participants of the 2026 NCAA Division III Football Championship Game were the finalists of the 2025 Division III Playoffs, a 40-team single elimination brackets tournament which began on November 22. The winners of each of the four 10-team regions qualified for the national semifinals.[2]
National semifinals
Game summary
| Scoring summary
|
| Quarter
|
Time
|
Drive
|
Team
|
Scoring information
|
Score
|
| Plays
|
Yards
|
TOP
|
Wisconsin–River Falls
|
North Central
|
| 1
|
12:57
|
4
|
73
|
1:57
|
North Central
|
Donovan McNeal 48-yard touchdown run, Aidan Ellison kick good
|
0
|
7
|
| 1
|
5:48
|
12
|
81
|
4:06
|
Wisconsin–River Falls
|
25-yard field goal by Justin Scheberl
|
3
|
7
|
| 2
|
11:07
|
15
|
73
|
9:38
|
North Central
|
Donovan McNeal 1-yard touchdown run, Aidan Ellison kick good
|
3
|
14
|
| 2
|
4:50
|
8
|
75
|
2:44
|
Wisconsin–River Falls
|
Blake Rohrer 13-yard touchdown reception from Kaleb Blaha, Justin Scheberl kick good
|
10
|
14
|
| 3
|
2:51
|
7
|
59
|
2:32
|
Wisconsin–River Falls
|
Kaleb Blaha 7-yard touchdown run, Justin Scheberl kick good
|
17
|
14
|
| 4
|
8:44
|
1
|
12
|
0:06
|
Wisconsin–River Falls
|
Kaleb Blaha 12-yard touchdown run, Justin Scheberl kick good
|
24
|
14
|
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.
|
24
|
14
|
|
Statistics
Team statistical comparison[3]
| Statistic
|
Wisconsin–River Falls
|
North Central
|
| First downs |
25 |
23
|
| First downs rushing |
10 |
10
|
| First downs passing |
14 |
12
|
| First downs penalty |
1 |
1
|
| Third down efficiency |
3–10 |
7–12
|
| Fourth down efficiency |
0–3 |
0–2
|
| Total plays–net yards |
69–436 |
71–363
|
| Rushing attempts–net yards |
28–145 |
43–169
|
| Yards per rush |
5.2 |
3.9
|
| Yards passing |
291 |
194
|
| Pass completions–attempts |
27–41 |
18–28
|
| Interceptions thrown |
0 |
2
|
| Punt returns–total yards |
1–2 |
1–11
|
| Kickoff returns–total yards |
3–36 |
5–67
|
| Punts–average yardage |
2–37 |
3–39
|
| Fumbles–lost |
0–0 |
1–1
|
| Penalties–yards |
3–35 |
4–27
|
| Time of possession |
23:45 |
36:15
|
|
|
|
References
|
|---|
| Seasons | |
|---|
| Playoffs | |
|---|
| Championship games | |
|---|
| Records & statistics | |
|---|
Games through 2023 were played in December. Subsequent games have been played in January (*) |