Louisville Named a Host Site for 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament

The Cardinals will host their first game in the Big Dance for the first time in four seasons.

Feb 5, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Reyna Scott (1) talks with head coach Jeff Walz during the second half against the Duke Blue Devils at KFC Yum! Center. Duke defeated Louisville 59-58. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

Press Release from the University of Louisville:

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Selection Sunday is still a day away, but the Louisville women's basketball team found out they will not be going far for the opening rounds of the tournament. Louisville was selected as 1 of 16 host teams for the 1st and 2nd Rounds of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, the selection committee announced Saturday afternoon. A first ahead of this year's tournament, the 16 host sites were announced in alphabetical order the day before the entire field gets announced on Selection Sunday.

This is the seventh time in program history the Cardinals will host the 1st and 2nd rounds of the tournament at the KFC Yum! Center. It is the first time since the 2021-22 season the Cardinals have hosted, and they advanced to the program's fourth Final Four that year. In three of Louisville's four Final Four appearances, they hosted the 1st and 2nd rounds at home. It is the 11th time in program history the Cardinals have earned a Top 4 seed, all occurring under head coach Jeff Walz's tenure. 

In the 2025-26 regular season, Louisville tallied a 27-7 overall record and were 15-3 in ACC play to finish second overall in the conference. They won 12 ACC games for the 12th-straight season, the only team in the league to do so. No other ACC team has won 10 or more conference games in each of the last 12 seasons. The Cardinals advanced to the ACC Tournament Championship Game for the fifth time in their 12 seasons in the league. Louisville is one of three ACC teams selected to host the opening rounds, as Duke and North Carolina were also selected to host.

All session tickets for the 1st and 2nd round will go on sale immediately following the Selection Show on Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET. Single-session tickets will go on sale later in the week. For all ticket information for the 1st and 2nd rounds, fans can learn more here.

(Photo of guard Reyna Scott, Louisville head coach Jeff Walz: Jamie Rhodes - Imagn Images)

You can follow Louisville Cardinals On SI for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter/X - @LouisvilleOnSI
Instagram - @louisvilleonsi

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter/X and @mattmcgavic.bsky.social on Bluesky