2026 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament

Last updated
2026 NCAA Division I
women's basketball tournament
2026 NCAA Women's Final Four Logo.svg
Season 2025–26
Teams68
Finals site Mortgage Matchup Center,
Phoenix, Arizona
NCAA Division I women's tournaments
« 2025 2027 »

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 Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona. [1]

Contents

Atlantic 10 champion Rhode Island will make its second-ever appearance and its first since 1996. MAC champion Miami (OH) will make its second-ever appearance and its first since 2008. Southern champion Samford will make its third-ever appearance, its first since 2012. Atlantic Sun champion Jacksonville will make its third-ever appearance, its first since 2016. Ohio Valley champion Western Illinois will make its third-ever appearance, its first since 2017.

Tournament procedure

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

First Four

Subregionals (First and Second Rounds)

Regional Semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) [3]

National Semifinals and Championship (Final Four and Championship) [3]

Phoenix is scheduled to host the women's Final Four for the first time. [4]

Qualification and selection of teams

Automatic qualifiers

Teams who won their conference championships (31) automatically qualify.

Automatic qualifiers in the 2026 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament
ConferenceTeamAppearanceLast bid
America East Vermont 9th2025
American
Atlantic 10 Rhode Island 2nd1996
ACC Duke 28th2025
ASUN Jacksonville 2nd2016
Big 12 West Virginia 17th2025
Big East UConn 37th2025
Big Sky Idaho 5th2016
Big South High Point 3rd2025
Big Ten UCLA 21st2025
Big West UC San Diego 2nd2025
CAA 1stNever
CUSA Missouri State 18th2022
Horizon Green Bay 21st2025
Ivy League Princeton 13th2025
MAAC Fairfield 8th2025
MAC Miami (OH) 2nd2008
MEAC Howard 7th2022
Missouri Valley
Mountain West Colorado State 7th2016
NEC
Ohio Valley Western Illinois 3rd2017
Patriot
SEC Texas 38th2025
Southern Samford 3rd2012
Southland Stephen F. Austin 22nd2025
SWAC Southern 8th2025
Summit South Dakota State 14th2025
Sun Belt James Madison 14th2023
WAC California Baptist 2nd2024
WCC Gonzaga 16th2024

Seeds

The tournament seeds and regions are determined through the NCAA basketball tournament selection process and will be published by the selection committee after the brackets are released in March.

Fort Worth #1 Regional – Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, TX
SeedSchoolConferenceRecordOverall SeedBerth typeLast bid
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Sacramento #2 Regional – Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
SeedSchoolConferenceRecordOverall SeedBerth typeLast bid
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Fort Worth #3 Regional – Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, TX
SeedSchoolConferenceRecordOverall SeedBerth typeLast bid
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Sacramento #4 Regional – Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
SeedSchoolConferenceRecordOverall SeedBerth typeLast bid
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16

*See First Four
Source:-->

Tournament bracket

All times are listed in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4). Games on ESPN ABC, ESPN2, and ESPNU are also on ESPN+.

First Four

The First Four games involve eight teams: the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams.

March 19 – TBD Regional
   
 
 
March 18 – TBD Regional
   
 
 
March 19 – TBD Regional
   
 
 
March 18 – TBD Regional
   
 
 

Fort Worth #1 regional – Fort Worth, Texas

First round
Round of 64
March 20–22 		Second round
Round of 32
March 21–23 		Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 27 		Regional Final
Elite 8
March 30
            
1  
16  
 
 
8  
9  
 
 
5  
12  
 
 
4  
13  
 
 
6  
11  
 
 
3  
14  
 
 
7  
10  
 
 
2  
15  

Fort Worth #1 regional final

TBD
March 30
TBD

Fort Worth #1 regional all-tournament team

Sacramento #2 regional – Sacramento, California

First round
Round of 64
March 20–22 		Second round
Round of 32
March 21–23 		Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 27 		Regional Final
Elite 8
March 30
            
1  
16  
 
 
8  
9  
 
 
5  
12  
 
 
4  
13  
 
 
6  
11  
 
 
3  
14  
 
 
7  
10  
 
 
2  
15  

Sacramento #2 regional final

TBD
March 30
TBD

Sacramento #2 regional all-tournament team

Fort Worth #3 regional – Fort Worth, TX

First round
Round of 64
March 20–22 		Second round
Round of 32
March 21–23 		Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 27 		Regional Final
Elite 8
March 30
            
1  
16  
 
 
8  
9  
 
 
5  
12  
 
 
4  
13  
 
 
6  
11  
 
 
3  
14  
 
 
7  
10  
 
 
2  
15  

Fort Worth #3 regional final

TBD
March 29
TBD
Dickies Arena – Fort Worth, TX

Fort Worth #3 regional all-tournament team

Sacramento #4 regional – Sacramento, California

First round
Round of 64
March 20–22 		Second round
Round of 32
March 21–23 		Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 27 		Regional Final
Elite 8
March 30
            
1  
16  
 
 
8  
9  
 
 
5  
12  
 
 
4  
13  
 
 
6  
11  
 
 
3  
14  
 
 
7  
10  
 
 
2  
15  

Sacramento #4 regional final

TBD
March 30
TBD
Golden 1 Center – Sacramento, CA

Sacramento #4 regional all-tournament team

Final Four - Mortage Matchup Center, Phoenix, AZ

During the Final Four round, regardless of the seeds of the participating teams, the champion of the top overall top seed's region (TBD, TBD Region) plays against the champion of the fourth-ranked top seed's region (TBD, TBD Region), and the champion of the second overall top seed's region (TBD, TBD Region) plays against the champion of the third-ranked top seed's region (TBD, TBD Region).

National Semifinals
Final Four
Friday, April 3 		National Championship Game
Sunday, April 5
      
 
 
 
 
 
 

Game summaries

Final Four (National semifinals)

April 3
TBD
April 4
TBD
Mortgage Matchup Center – Phoenix, AZ

National championship (Final)

April 5
Mortgage Matchup Center – Phoenix, AZ

Final Four all-tournament team

Tournament notes

Upsets

Per the NCAA, an upset occurs "when the losing team in an NCAA tournament game was seeded at least five seed lines better than the winning team." [5]

Upsets in the 2026 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament
RoundFort Worth #1Sacramento #2Fort Worth #3Sacramento #4
First FourNone
Round of 64None
Round of 32None
Sweet 16None
Elite 8None
Final 4None
National ChampionshipNone

Tournament records


Game officials

First Four

First and second rounds

Regional semifinals and final (Sweet 16 and Elite Eight)

National semifinals and final (Final Four and National Championship)

Record by conference

ConferenceBidsRecordWin %R64R32S16E8F4CGNC
America East 0–0–
American 0–0–
ACC 0–0–
Atlantic Sun 0–0–
Atlantic 10 0–0–
Big Ten 0–0–
Big 12 0–0–
Big East 0–0–
Big Sky 0–0–
Big South 0–0–
Big West 0–0–
CAA 0–0–
CUSA 0–0–
Horizon 0–0–
Ivy 0–0–
MAAC 0–0–
MAC 0–0–
MEAC 0–0–
MVC 0–0–
Mountain West 0–0–
NEC 0–0–
OVC 0–0–
SEC 0–0–
Southern 0–0–
Southland 0–0–
SWAC 0–0–
Summit 0–0–
Sun Belt 0–0–
WCC 0–0–
WAC 0–0–

    Media coverage

    Television

    ESPN broadcast each game of the tournament across either ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, or ABC. For the fourth consecutive season, the national championship game aired on ABC. [6]


    Radio

    Westwood One will serve as radio broadcaster of the tournament.


    Television ratings

    Most watched tournament games

    (#) Tournament seedings and region in parentheses.

    RankRoundDate and time (ET)MatchupNetworkViewers (millions)TV rating
    TBD

    See also

    References

    1. ↑ Deatsch, Thomas (2 October 2024). "2025 – 2031 Future Host Dates and Sites" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
    2. ↑ "Expansion of 2022 DI women's basketball tournament to 68 teams approved". NCAA. 17 November 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
    3. 1 2 "Women's Final Four: Future dates & sites". NCAA. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
    4. ↑ Nixon, Rick (9 December 2024). "NCAA and Phoenix unveil logo for 2026 Women's Final Four". NCAA. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
    5. ↑ Wittry, Andy (March 15, 2023). "Here's how to pick March Madness men's upsets, according to the data". NCAA. Archived from the original on March 12, 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
    6. ↑ "ESPN acquires NCAA rights for US$500 million". SportsPro Media. April 2, 2012. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
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