The Nordic Grassroots Esports League (NGEL) is a Nordic, club-based esports league for organisations working with children and teenagers. It is organised by Bredde-e-sport Alliansen in cooperation with the national esports federations and the Nordic esports federation.

Participation is open to voluntary, non-profit organisations and registered clubs working with youth in the Nordic region. Teams must register through their club or organisation (no individual sign-ups).

Teams from across the Nordic region meet in a safe, low‑threshold, development‑focused league where the primary goal is improvement, inclusion, and a positive environment rather than elite performance or cash prizes. NGEL is primarily intended for players in the 600–900 MMR range, but teams may include players up to approximately low Diamond level, provided that overall team balance is maintained.

Players represent their clubs, are supported by coaches and leaders, and compete in age- and skill-based divisions with clear fair play rules. The goal is to make it easy to run esports in a club setting, build friendships across borders, and create healthy digital communities around gaming.

Who Can Participate

• Clubs with a membership at their respective National Esports Federation*
  *Norwegian clubs must be a member of the National Esports Federation or Bredde-e-sport Alliansen
• Maximum 10 teams per Nordic country: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Finland.
• Organisations may register more than one team.
• Age limit: participants must be in the age range of 11 to 19 years, where the lower limit is defined as the year the player turns 11.
• The league is primarily intended for players with an MMR between 600 and 900
• Players at approximately low Diamond level may participate, provided that the team also includes players with lower ranks to maintain a reasonable balance in overall team performance
• This flexible approach removes strict rank limits and places responsibility on participating organisations to exercise sound judgment when forming teams.

Tournament Format

• Matches are played Best of 5 (Bo5) First team to 3 wins
• Format: 3v3 Rocket League
• First stage: Round robin with all participating teams
• The top 4 teams advance to a double elimination bracket. The teams with fewer points starts in the lower bracket.
• Each match night includes two matches Match 1 starts 19:00 Match 2 starts 19:45

Prizes

• The Top 3 teams will each receive a trophy
• All participants will also receive a digital participation badge

Fair Play

Fair Play is essential in this league, as in all esports. Treat opponents, teammates, and all involved parties with respect.

To avoid a negative atmosphere between teams, Quick Chat is disabled in this league.

Practical Information and Rules

• All matches are played online
• Platforms allowed: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
• Players must use their own personal Rocket League account and link their Epic Games account to their user profile on the registration page. Account sharing is strictly prohibited
• All communication must take place in the match page chat. This ensures that both teams always know where to contact each other, and that admins have full access to the conversation in case of disputes
• For issues or questions, use the “Contact Admin” button on the match page
• Teams are strongly encouraged to register as many substitute players as possible to avoid problems if someone drops out
• Teams may substitute players between maps
• Coaches and team leaders may spectate matches but are not permitted to participate
• It is allowed (and recommended) to play with only two players if a third is missing, rather than losing by walkover
• Players are responsible for their own internet connection. If one or two players disconnect during a map, the match continues until they reconnect. If all players on a team disconnect during a map, the opponent wins that map.
• If a team withdraws from a scheduled match in the league round, the result will be recorded as a walkover loss.
• Both teams must report the result immediately after the match
• Any team that receives two walkovers during the league will be disqualified
• Save screenshots after each match in case of disputes. Screenshots should show both team lineups and results

Home team responsibility:

The club listed as the home team is responsible for hosting a valid Rocket League server at the scheduled time. If the match cannot start within 15 minutes due to the home team failing to meet this obligation, the home team loses by walkover and the result is set to 0–4. Repeated violations may lead to exclusion from the league, annulment of all matches, and placement at the bottom of the table.

Lobby settings

• Game Mode: Soccer
• Arenas: Standard maps
• Players: 3v3
• Bots: None
• Region: Europe
• Set Name/Password
• Team Settings: Optional to use respective team names. Only standard team colors allowed
• Mutator Settings: Off/Default
• Disable Quick Chat: Settings → Chat → Quick Chat & Party Chat → “Allow with Nobody (Off)”

How to Set Up a Private Match in Rocket League

1. A player from the home team creates a private match: Play Online → Create Private Match
2. Set “Joinable by” to Name/Password
3. Share the name and password with the opponent

How to Join a Private Match

1. Go to Play Online → Join Private Match
2. Enter the name and password provided by the host

Match Times

• Each match night includes two matches: Match 1 starts 19:00 CET and Match 2 starts 19:45 CET
• Registration deadline: 01/25/26 (January 25th, 2026)

Walkover rule: If the opponent does not show up within 15 minutes and cannot be reached via match page or in-game, report it on the match page. The match will then be awarded as a walkover

Dates

• Round 1 & 2: February 4th

—– Winter holiday —–

• Round 3 & 4: March 11th
• Round 5 & 6: March 18th
• Round 7 & 8: March 25th

—- Easter holiday —-

• Round 9 & 10 : April 8th
• Rescheduled matches (held as a buffer due to league restructuring): April 15
• Round 11 & 12: April 22th
• Round 13 & 14: April 29th

Contact

For questions about registration, requests for changes, or feedback, please on our official Discord server.