UCLA won its first NCAA women's basketball championship, defeating fellow No. 1 seed South Carolina 79-51 on April 5.
The 2026 tournament featured an all-No. 1 seed Final Four for the fifth time in women's tournament history. UCLA cruised past Texas, and South Carolina handed UConn its first loss of the season en route to the title game.
Games started with the First Four beginning Wednesday, March 18 and cotinued through the national championship on April 5.
2026 NCAA women's basketball tournament bracket
Click or tap here for a printable bracket | Click or tap here for the interactive bracket
2026 NCAA women's basketball tournament schedule
This is the schedule for the tournament:
- Selection Sunday: 8 p.m. ET Sunday, March 15 on ESPN
- First Four: March 18-19
- First round: March 20-21
- Second round: March 22-23
- Sweet 16: March 27-28 in Fort Worth, Texas and Sacramento, Calif.
- Elite Eight: March 29-30 in Fort Worth, Texas and Sacramento, Calif.
- Final Four: Friday, April 3 in Phoenix, Ariz.
- NCAA championship game: Sunday, April 5 in Phoenix, Ariz.
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WOMEN'S FINAL FOUR FUTURE DATES AND SITES |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Year |
City |
Venue |
Dates |
Host |
|
2026 |
Phoenix, Ariz. |
Mortgage Matchup Center |
April 3 & 5 |
Arizona State University |
|
2027 |
Columbus, Ohio |
Nationwide Arena |
April 2 & 4 |
The Ohio State University, Greater Columbus sports Commission |
|
2028 |
Indianapolis, Ind. |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse |
March 31 & April 2 |
Horizon League, IUPUI, Indiana Sports Corp |
|
2029 |
San Antonio, Texas |
Alamodome |
March 30 & April 1 |
University of Incarnate Word, UTSA, San Antonio Sports |
|
2030 |
Portland, Ore. |
Moda Center |
April 5 & 7 |
University of Portland, Sport Oregon |
|
2031 |
Dallas, Texas |
American Airlines Center |
April 4 & 6 |
Big 12 Conference, Dallas Sports Commission |
NCAA women's bracket for 2025
