For a weekend this March, Lisle will become a major player in the electronic sports world.

The DuPage Sports Commission announced on Tuesday that the esports competition, Midwest Battleground 2026, will be held Friday through Sunday, March 6-8, at the Sheraton Lisle Naperville Hotel.

The DuPage Sports Commission, a 501(c)(3) organization, was formed in 2019 as the sports arm of the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau.

More than 100 collegiate esports teams are expected to attend, with 72 competing in the Midwest Battleground and 32 competing in the Big Esports Conference championship, according to DuPage Sports Commission Director of Sports Igor Bakovic. The BEC is a collaborative of Big Ten Conference schools.

Illinois high schools are also involved. More than 300 gamers representing 40 high schools statewide will compete in a pair of championship events hosted by the Illinois High School Esports Association, Bakovic said.

“The purpose of this event, the mission vision of this event, is to connect the dots between high school and college esports, because they’re not as well connected as they are in traditional sports,” Bakovic said.

“So we’re bringing together the high school ecosystem, the college ecosystem, and other partners in the esports space so coaches, players, and parents all have an opportunity to learn, collaborate, and further educate themselves about the industry,” he said.

In addition to networking opportunities and the gaming itself, Midwest Battleground includes workshops, speaker panels, educational sessions and an exposition.

The 2026 event will be the third time the DuPage Sports Commission has hosted Midwest Battleground, which outgrew its February 2024 debut at the Hyatt Regency Lisle. It returns for a second year at the Sheraton Lisle Naperville Hotel.

“We’ve seen a lot of success,” Bakovic said. “We had about 275 competitors in year one, we had just under 600 in year two, and we’re looking to double that in year three, which is tremendous growth.”

https://www.dailyherald.com/20251203/news/gamers-will-make-their-play-in-lisle-at-midwest-battleground-2026/