Women’s March Madness 2026 Schedule and Key NCAA Tournament Dates

Tickets to the NCAA tournament are being punched and Selection Sunday is one day away, which means March Madness is right around the corner in women’s basketball. With that in mind, it’s time to brush up on all of the important dates for the NCAA tournament.

Below is a round-by-round schedule of the women’s NCAA tournament, including where the games will be taking place. We don’t yet know who’s playing who—Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN is when we’ll find out—but this will serve as a baseline for when the madness is taking place, and where you can watch the games.

Women’s NCAA tournament full schedule

First Four: March 18-19
First Round: March 20-21
Second Round: March 22-23

Women’s NCAA tournament Sweet 16

In last year’s Sweet 16, only one lower-ranked seed defeated a higher-ranked seed—No. 3 LSU over No. 2 NC State—while all four No. 1 seeds advanced to the Elite Eight.

Date	Time (ET)	Network	Location
March 27	2:30 p.m.	ESPN	Dickies Arena, Fort Worth
March 27	5 p.m.	ESPN	Dickies Arena, Fort Worth
March 27	7:30 p.m.	ESPN	Golden 1 Center, Sacramento
March 27	10 p.m.	ESPN	Golden 1 Center, Sacramento
March 28	12:30 p.m.	ABC	Dickies Arena, Fort Worth
March 28	3 p.m.	ABC	Dickies Arena, Fort Worth
March 28	5 p.m.	ESPN	Golden 1 Center, Sacramento
March 28	7:30 p.m.	ESPN	Golden 1 Center, Sacramento

Women’s NCAA tournament Elite Eight

In last year’s Elite Eight, only one No. 1 seed—USC—failed to advance. The Trojans unfortunately ran into the eventual national champion, the UConn Huskies.

Date	Time (ET)	Network	Location
March 29	1 p.m.	ABC	Dickies Arena, Fort Worth
March 29	3 p.m.	ABC	Golden 1 Center, Sacramento
March 30	7 p.m.	ESPN	Dickies Arena, Fort Worth
March 30	9 p.m.	ESPN	Golden 1 Center, Sacramento

Women’s NCAA tournament Final Four

In last year’s Final Four, South Carolina defeated fellow No. 1 seed Texas to advance to its second straight national championship game. Meanwhile, the mighty Huskies routed No. 1 seed UCLA, 85–51, to set up a highly anticipated showdown between the defending champion Gamecocks and a historically dominant UConn team. Last year’s Final Four took place in Tampa.

Date	Time (ET)	Network	Location
April 3	7 p.m.	ESPN	Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix
April 3	9:30 p.m.*	ESPN	Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix

*The second women's semifinal game will begin 30 minutes after the first semifinal game ends.

Future Final Four hosts

Before we get to the national championship game schedule, here is a quick look at where the future women's Final Four contests will be held.

2026: Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix
2027: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
2028: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
2029: Alamodome, San Antonio
2030: Moda Center, Portlard, Ore.
2031: American Airlines Center, Dallas

Women’s NCAA tournament national championship game

In last year’s title game, UConn overwhelmed South Carolina to win its 12th championship and first since 2016.

Date	Time (ET)	Network	Location
April 5	3:30 p.m.	ABC	Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix

Who are the favorites to win the 2026 women’s NCAA tournament?

It all starts with the defending champion Huskies, who haven’t lost a game since December. The Huskies lost 2025 No. 1 WNBA draft pick Paige Bueckers, but the Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd-led ’26 squad might be even better—a scary thought for the rest of the country.

The UCLA Bruins, led by Big Ten Player of the Year and star center Lauren Betts, have to be next on the list. Cori Close’s squad has made three straight runs to the Final Four and hasn’t lost a game since Nov. 26.

The Texas Longhorns, who routed South Carolina in the SEC championship final and were the only team to beat UCLA this season in a neutral-site game, could be poised to win the program’s first national title since the 1984–85 season. Do-it-all forward Madison Booker is one of the best players in the country.

Rounding out the group of favorites is the Gamecocks. Winners of two of the last five national championships, Dawn Staley’s squad might not be this year’s outright favorite, but the program remains a women’s basketball powerhouse and a talented squad, with five players averaging in double figures.

The LSU Tigers, led by four-time champion and coach Kim Mulkey, and Shea Ralph’s Vanderbilt Commodores, are two SEC powers who could conceivably also contend for the title.

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