2026 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament
 | |||||
| Season | 2025–26 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 68 | ||||
| Finals site | PHX Arena, Phoenix, Arizona | ||||
| |||||
The 2026 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament will involve 68 teams in a single-elimination tournament to determine the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketball national champion for the 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The 44th edition of the tournament will begin on March 18, 2026, with the First Four, and will conclude with the championship game on April 5, at the PHX Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.[1]
Tournament procedure
[edit]Pending any changes, a total of 68 teams will participate in the 2026 tournament, consisting of the 31 conference champions, and 37 "at-large" bids that will be determined by the NCAA Selection Committee. The last four at-large teams and teams seeded 65 through 68 overall will compete in First Four games, whose winners advance to the 64-team first round.[2]
2026 NCAA Tournament schedule and venues
[edit]First Four
- March 18 and 19
Subregionals (First and Second Rounds)
- March 20 and 22 (Fri/Sun)
- March 21 and 23 (Sat/Mon)
Regional Semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)[3]
- March 27–30
National Semifinals and Championship (Final Four and Championship)[3]
- April 3 and April 5
Phoenix is scheduled to host the women's Final Four for the first time.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ Deatsch, Thomas (2 October 2024). "2025 – 2031 Future Host Dates and Sites" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ^ "Expansion of 2022 DI women's basketball tournament to 68 teams approved". NCAA. 17 November 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ^ a b "Women's Final Four: Future dates & sites". NCAA. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ^ Nixon, Rick (9 December 2024). "NCAA and Phoenix unveil logo for 2026 Women's Final Four". NCAA. Retrieved 24 March 2025.