MSNCT Standby Status
Teams that do not qualify for the Middle School National Championship Tournament (MSNCT) in a given year are given the chance to attend the event as standby teams. Standby status is also available to qualified teams who, for any reason, are not in the main field, and to B, C, etc. teams from schools in the main field (regardless of the subsequent teams’ qualification statuses).
Teams on standby status agree to attend the MSNCT with at least three eligible players. In the event of a last-minute cancellation, the standby team will replace the cancelling team in the competition field; no registration fee will be charged. ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ may request evidence of travel plans—including airline or hotel receipts—to verify that standby teams are committed to making the trip.
If there are no last-minute cancellations, the members of the standby team may become alternates for other teams from the same school or may explore the host city during the event.
Standby teams are welcome to participate in scrimmages, consolation rounds, and side events if there are any.
There is no cost to join the standby list and no penalty for withdrawing from it.
The standby list is not the same as the waitlist: The waitlist consists of teams that have qualified for the MSNCT but who could not be accommodated in the tournament because the field was already full. If a team withdraws before 12:01 a.m. on the Friday on which check-in occurs, it will be replaced by the next team from the waitlist. If a team withdraws after that—including not showing up at all—it will be replaced by the first team on the standby list.
Standby registration for the 2025 MSNCT will open on January 2, 2025.
The order of standby teams at ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ’s national championship events who sign up in the first 24 hours after standby signup opens will be randomized. After that time, the standby list will be maintained in order of signup.