Intro and Pro coverage by John Amodea
Whenever I cover major paintball events— tournaments, scenario games or big games, I always look at the history. It gives me a perspective of where we’ ve been and where we are at. And I almost always walk away with the feeling,“ where did the time go?” This incarnation of the National Xball League( NXL) is somehow, 12 years old already— and yet I feel like that first event in Cleveland was much closer in the rearview mirror than it is in reality.
For those that have not been around the game of professional paintball for two decades or more, this is actually the second incarnation of the NXL. The original league, conceptualized by Richmond Italia, ran events for three seasons( 2003-2005) under the PSP( Paintball Sports Promotions) banner, after a test run at the 2002 PSP World Cup. This was also the introduction of the Xball format. Although Xball in 2003 was similar to the way it’ s played today, the major difference is back then there were no individual event winners in the Pro division. Teams played all season leading up to a playoff system at the World Cup in which a season winner was crowned. The All Americans won in both 2003 and 2004 and Baltimore Trauma took the crown in 2005.
Although the Xball format continued in the PSP, organizationally, the NXL was put on the shelf until the PSP disbanded in 2015 and the new NXL and its new partners, promoters and sponsors ran their first event in Cleveland. And since that event there have been only nine different Professional winners in 48 events. And since the third event of 2021, only five teams--San Diego Dynasty, Edmonton Impact, Red Legion, Tampa Bay Damage and Paintball Fit have won Pro events. Let me say it this way, five Pro teams have won all of the last 21 tournaments.
2026 NXL Mid-Atlantic Open
The 2026 NXL Mid-Atlantic Open was held at Dover Speedway, in Dover, Delaware— a location and state that’ s never hosted an NXL event. And when I say“ Dover Speedway,” unlike the Tampa Bay Open held inside the NFL’ s Raymond James Stadium, this one was held at the venue’ s camping facility, not inside or on the grounds of the actual speedway. Not necessarily a criticism( okay, maybe a little), just an observation. That said, the venue was more than sufficient, with plenty of parking, grass fields and large beautiful permanent grandstands for the Pro field.
026 paintball. media magazine