Overview CECC May Madness is the national championship weekend of the Collegiate Esports Commissioner's Cup, and teams get there the way college basketball teams do: in 2026, 25 partner conferences handed out 106 automatic bids. Schools compete for national titles in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Rocket League, Overwatch, VALORANT and NBA 2K. Collegiate Sports Management Group runs the Cup as the end of a season-long pathway across Divisions I, II and III. Arlington, Texas hosted three years running before the event moved to Waco in 2026, with Baylor University as host alongside ESportsU and Esports Foundry. On site The 2026 weekend opened on a Thursday night at Baylor's McLane Stadium with Thursday Night Lights: a jersey ceremony, entertainment, a high school showcase match and a mixer for players and coaches. Competition then ran three days in the 144,000-square-foot Waco Convention Center, with more than 20 teams per title. Around the stages sat a festival: cosplay showcases, food trucks, trading card game tournaments, an artists' alley, creator meet-and-greets, a college recruiting fair, high school talent combines and panels. The PlayVS College League spring championship ran on site, and the Texas Scholastic Esports Federation played its high school VALORANT and Overwatch 2 state finals on the CECC stage. Audience The players are the core of the crowd: more than 2,000 student competitors in 2026, with their coaches. The high school state finals, talent combines and a college recruiting fair put high school players in the same building, and Baylor estimated 11,000 guests across the CECC and TexSEF events that weekend. Most of the audience watches online, on Twitch and creator channels. Track record The 2025 championship in Arlington drew more than 5,000 people on site and more than 5 million livestream viewers, with viewership up 27% on the year before. The 2026 field of more than 2,000 players was the largest the event had run. Brand presence McDonald's, Cisco, the U.S. Army, Sour Punch and Red Bull were partners in 2026. Partner packages start at a booth with signage and climb through bronze, silver and gold levels to a title and presenting sponsor.