California State Champions to be Crowned in Rocket League, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Mario Kart 8, and League of Legends 

[Sacramento, CA, April 23, 2026] - The California Interscholastic Federation announces the CIF Esports Initiative Championship Finals to be held on April 25, 2026, at California State University, Dominguez Hills. The statewide CIF tournament is hosted and managed by NASEF, the Network of Academic and Scholastic Esports Federations. 

Competitive scholastic esports, or team–based video game play, is growing rapidly in California schools. This year, the varsity season saw 315 high schools competing with 920 teams (up from 260 schools with 773 varsity teams in 2025). Additional teams played in the JV league and in exhibition titles. 

This live Championship Finals will offer exciting competition and crown a state champion in Rocket League, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Mario Kart 8, and League of Legends. 

Qualifying teams include:

• League of Legends: Sunny Hills High School (Fullerton) and John A. Rowland High School (Rowland Heights)
• Rocket League: San Jacinto High School (San Jacinto) and Benjamin Franklin Senior High School (Los Angeles)
• Super Smash Bros.: Cajon High School (San Bernardino) facing Katella High School (Anaheim) in one division, and Los Alamitos High School (Los Alamitos) facing Pacifica High School (Garden Grove) in the other
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: El Diamante High School (Visalia) and Canyon Springs High School (Moreno Valley)  

CIF also offered a student exhibition competition in Madden NFL 25 and Marvel Rivals during the regular season, as well as JV events. For the first time, a bracket was offered specifically for female Super Smash Bros. Ultimate players; the season leaders will play an exhibition match at the live finals event: Northview High School (Covina) will face Yucaipa High School (Yucaipa).

Ron Nocetti, Executive Director of the CIF, said, “The CIF is encouraged by the growth of esports and our ability to provide thousands more students the opportunity to belong, connect and compete in education-based athletics. The entire season will culminate in this in-person Esports Initiative Championship on the campus of CSU- Dominguez Hills. Students will showcase their skills while representing their school communities in the exciting competitions, as well as participating in other aspects of the tournament.”

NASEF shares the core values and mission of CIF regarding education-based opportunities for the students of California, with a model that connects gameplay and competition to meaningful education around life and career skills. To that end, this year’s esports season offered opportunities beyond gameplay. A logo design competition was held to give students training and experience on graphic design for an event. The winning logo was designed by Jacob R., a sophomore at Mayfair High School (Lakewood). His design is being printed on stickers that will be distributed at the Championship event and is the featured logo in the graphic for this press release.

Streaming is also very important to the growth and popularity of esports, and students are developing skills as the shoutcasters who make the play-by-play calls of the games. This year’s student casters will include: Ansh, Darv, Destiny, Jarius T, Jesus V, Mya, and the team of Israel & Richard from Valley View High School (Moreno Valley); Brandon T from Marina High School Huntington Beach; Demariye, Max (Smaxx), and Aaron from Canyon Springs High School (Moreno Valley); and Tavian P (MightyMan) from Cypress High School (Cypress).

Dr. Mary Ann Villarreal, Interim President of CSUDH, said, “California State University, Dominguez Hills is proud and honored to host the 2026 CIF Championship, an event that continues to grow and reflect our campus values of community engagement, healthy competitive exchange, and innovation that fosters learning. I see this as a space for entertainment and a bridge that connects students to transformative career opportunities.  Welcome to the home of the Toros. Game on!”

Athletes’ families and the public are invited to attend and cheer on their favorite teams in the Innovation & Instruction Banquet Room on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills at 1000 E Victoria St, Carson CA 90747.  For those unable to attend in-person, the Championship Finals will be streamed on NASEF’s Twitch channel: https://www.twitch.tv/nasefedu. 

About the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF)

Created in 1914, the CIF is the governing body for high school sports in the state of California. The federation is uniquely positioned to foster student growth in values and ethics providing students the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete in education-based athletics. The CIF strives to promote equity, quality, character, and academic development. A nonprofit federation, the state office, located in Sacramento, Calif., represents the interests of its member Sections. The 10 Sections represent geographic regions within the state: Central, Central Coast, Los Angeles City, North Coast, Northern, Oakland, Sac-Joaquin, San Diego, San Francisco, and Southern. CIF represents 1,628 public and private member schools and more than 800,000 student-athletes. Visit CIF at CIFState.org and follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @CIFState.

About NASEF

NASEF equips education, community and industry leaders to maximize the potential of scholastic esports. As a non-profit, NASEF supports leaders and youth to develop career and professional skills through a unique blend of play and learning. Using its research-backed approach, NASEF guides organizations around the world striving to make impacts through scholastic esports.

NASEF is proud to partner with PlayVS as its tournament platform, and throughout the school year the event has been powered by PlayVS. Find details about the tournament, rulebooks, and other information at https://www.nasef.org/compete/cif-california. 

NASEF operates under the umbrella of the World Wide Scholastic Esports Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit headquartered in Atlanta, GA. The International Esports Federation has entrusted NASEF with training and supporting its 130+ member federations as they undertake development of scholastic esports programs. Find NASEF at NASEF.org and on X/Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

About CSUDH Esports

CSUDH Esports is founded on Five Pillars of Esports: Academics & Research, Career Development, Community, Competition, and Entertainment. At CSU Dominguez Hills, esports is a strategy, not an outcome. Within each pillar, CSUDH Esports provides opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience and learn new skills. The esports teams at CSUDH compete nationally in leagues or tournaments each semester. Student players are able to connect with other collegiate gamers and gain the hard skills that facilitate their entry into various fields upon graduation, whether they remain in esports or not. CSU Dominguez Hills faculty has also started development on esports specific curriculum, with the intent to establish a minor in esports.

 Located on the second floor of the Leo Cain University Library, the CSUDH Toro Esports Academy is designed to be a flexible, institution-wide space. It serves the entire university community by offering a practical classroom, a competitive arena, an incubator space, and a broadcast room. There are currently 38 gaming stations plus three broadcast stations. Events can access all 38 stations as needed, teams can overflow into the incubation or classroom sections, and students are free to collaborate and develop their ideas. Sponsors have graciously donated and provided equipment for lab operations. Find out more at https://esports.csudh.edu

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Media contacts:

Rebecca Brutlag, rbrutlag@cifstate.org 

Claire LaBeaux, claire@nasef.org