Women’s March Madness Set for Phoenix in 2026
The 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, commonly known as March Madness, will culminate with the Final Four in Phoenix, Arizona, on and at the Mortgage Matchup Center, according to announcements made by the NCAA.
The tournament bracket, featuring 68 teams, will be revealed on on ESPN. The initial four play-in games, known as the First Four, are scheduled for and . The top 16 seeds will host games during the first and second rounds of the tournament.
Regional play will be divided between two locations: Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, and Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. Both sites will host the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight rounds from to .
The championship game, crowning the NCAA Women’s Basketball champion, is slated for , also at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. The Final Four semifinals will take place on , with the second semifinal game beginning 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first.
The tournament schedule unfolds as follows: the First Four from , the first round from , the second round from , the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight from , the Final Four on , and the championship game on .
ESPN networks will broadcast each game of the tournament, and games will also be available for streaming via the ESPN App.
Looking ahead, the Women’s Final Four is scheduled for Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, in 2027, and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 2028. The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, will host in 2029, and Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, will host in 2030.
The 2027 regional sites will be Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2028, the regional sites will be Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, and an as-yet-unspecified location in Washington, D.C.
