For decades, the NCCA men's and women's soccer has been an intriguing watch, providing the space for real stars to breakout and into stardom.
The likes of Megan Rapinoe, Brad Friedel, Claudio Reyna, Hope Solo and Alex Morgan have all come through the NCAA Division I, going on to become legends of the sport in the USA.
Whether you're looking to watch the next big stars or are die hard for your collegiate town team, here's all the information you need to know about live streaming NCAA Men's and Women's soccer in the USA.
When does the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's soccer tournament take place?
Each season, the tournament takes place between August and December. This is the case across both the men's and women's competition for 2024, with a regular season taking place across the conferences before qualification for the NCAA Tournament and the College Cup.
The regular season takes place throughout August, with fixtures finishing in November before the NCAA Division I tournament takes place, narrowing the hundreds of colleges down to the top teams and, eventually two finalists to battle it out in early December for the College Cup.
How many colleges feature in the NCAA Division I soccer tournament?
A total of over 200 men's teams and around 335 women's teams start out the season competing to play in the NCAA Division I soccer tournament.
This is split across 23 conferences in the men's division and 31 in the women's. This includes many of the major conferences, such as the ACC, Big Ten, Ivy League and SEC.
Following the conference championships, representatives of each are then entered into the NCAA Division I tournament. 48 men's teams compete in a single-elimination tournament, with 64 competing in the women's.
Qualification is earned in a variety of ways, from winning the conference tournaments or leagues to others being admitted based upon their regular season records.
The conferences that make up the NCAA Division I soccer season are:
| Conference | Men's Teams | Women's Teams |
|---|---|---|
| America East Conference | 10 | 9 |
| American Athletic Conference | 6 | 11 |
| Atlantic 10 Conference | 14 | 15 |
| Atlantic Coast Conference | 15 | 17 |
| Atlantic Sun Conference | 8 | 11 |
| Big East Conference | 12 | 11 |
| Big South Conference | 8 | 9 |
| Big Sky Conference | 0 | 9 |
| Big 12 Conference | 0 | 16 |
| Big Ten Conference | 11 | 18 |
| Big West Conference | 10 | 11 |
| Coastal Athletic Association | 11 | 13 |
| Conference USA | 0 | 10 |
| Horizon League | 10 | 11 |
| Ivy League | 8 | 8 |
| Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | 13 | 13 |
| Mid-American Athletic Conference | 0 | 12 |
| Missouri Valley Conference | 9 | 11 |
| Mountain West Conference | 0 | 12 |
| Northeast Conference | 9 | 10 |
| Ohio Valley Conference | 8 | 10 |
| Patriot League | 10 | 10 |
| Southeastern Conference | 0 | 16 |
| Southern Conference | 6 | 10 |
| Southland Conference | 0 | 11 |
| The Summit League | 5 | 9 |
| Sun Belt Conference | 10 | 14 |
| Southwestern Athletic Conference | 0 | 10 |
| West Coast Conference | 9 | 11 |
| Western Athletic Conference | 10 | 8 |
Some of these are part of larger primary conferences, such as Pac-12 and the Southeastern Conference.
What is the format of the NCAA Division I soccer tournament?
Once the colleges competing is determined, the tournament kicks off with four brackets that's broken down regionally. Each bracket features four rounds:
- First Round
- Second Round
- Round of 16
- Quarter Final
The Quarter Final essentially represents the final of that bracket. The teams that win then qualify for the College Cup Semi Finals, with the two winners then playing in the Final. This is the same across both men's and women's NCAA soccer.
How to watch and live stream NCAA men's and women's soccer in the USA
From the NCAA regular season through to the NCAA Division I tournament, all the action can be found on ESPN.
The broadcaster owns the rights to all NCAA soccer games, including both Division II and Division III too, which are live across several of the network's channels.
Among the most common channels you'll find NCAA soccer on are:
- ESPNU
- SEC Network (Southeastern Conference soccer)
- ACC Network (Atlantic Coast Conference soccer)
- ESPN
- ESPN2
Alternatively, fans can live stream all the NCAA soccer action via ESPN+. A subscription to ESPN+ is priced at $10.99 per month on a rolling basis, or fans can purchase an annual plan for $109.99 per year, making a saving of around 15%.
Alongside NCAA soccer, the channel also has the broadcast rights to the likes of the Bundesliga, La Liga, the Dutch Eredivisie and the USL Championship.
FAQs about NCAA men's and women's soccer
Who are the current NCAA men's and women's soccer champions?
The current NCAA Division I champions are Clemson in the men's division and Florida State University in the women's.
In Division II, Franklin Pierce are the current men's champions, while Point Loma Nazarene are the women's. St Olaf and Cal Lutheran are the men's and women's Division III current champions.
Which colleges have won the most NCAA soccer titles?
Across the NCAA the following teams have secured the most championship titles:
| Division | Men's | Women's |
| NCAA Division I | Saint Louis (10) | North Carolina (22) |
| NCAA Division II | Southern Connecticut (6) | Grand Valley State (7) |
| Division III | Messiah (11) | Messiah (6) |
Where will the 2024 College Cup Finals take place?
Both College Cup finals will take place at the WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. It is a regular host for the competition, as well as a host of other college sport finals.
The stadium has a capacity of 10,000.