Phoenix has been home to several major sporting events, including this year’s Men’s Final Four and WNBA All-Star Game.
But the city hasn’t hosted the Women’s Final Four.
Yet.
Phoenix will host the 2026 NCAA Women’s Final Four after being awarded the event in 2020. On Monday, the official logo for the event was unveiled at Footprint Center, the host site, and it featured a desert landscape that represents Phoenix and the state of Arizona.
Designed by Section 127 in Indianapolis, the logo includes numerous area landmarks and tributes in the design. The logo’s yellow, red, and turquoise color palette are inspired by the Native American culture and art of the Southwest. The natural beauty of Arizona is portrayed through mountains and a radiant sky that includes a Southwest stylized sun with a basketball.
“Empowering women is the theme of the 2026 Women’s Final Four and in Arizona that’s way more than a slogan. It’s a way of life,” said Kyle Hedstrom, Phoenix Local Organizing Committee senior vice president. “Arizona has a legacy of strong female leadership. Governor Katie Hobbs is Arizona’s fifth female governor, no state has had more.”
The competition will tip off with two national semifinal games on Friday, April 3, followed by the national championship game on Sunday, April 5. All games will be broadcast as part of an ESPN MegaCast, airing on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. Additionally, the Women’s Final Four is expected to be distributed to more than 200 countries globally.
The excitement for the event continues to grow as last year’s Final Four in Cleveland was the most-viewed Women’s Final Four on record, averaging 13.8 million viewers.
.@SunDevilWBB coach Natasha Adair on how the 2026 Women’s Final Four can attract top players to ASU:
“‘You get to come here, but not only come and be a part of obviously the Big 12 conference and play on the biggest stage, you get to be a part of 2026.’ Right? That’s our dream.” pic.twitter.com/sheTOTNUAP
— DANA (@iam_DanaScott) December 9, 2024
The three-game event featured Caitlin Clark and Iowa against Paige Bueckers and UConn, which drew 14.4 million viewers, the second most-watched women’s college basketball game on record.
Last year’s success has carried over to the upcoming 2025 Women’s Final Four in Tampa Bay as the tickets sold out within 16 hours.
Given Phoenix’s extensive history with women’s basketball, it’s exciting for what can happen in less than two years.
“There’s a great opportunity here in Phoenix,” NCAA Vice President of Women’s Basketball Lynn Holzman said. “Not every Women’s Final Four city we go into has that opportunity where there is a longstanding WNBA franchise there. Last year, we were in Cleveland and had the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they don’t currently have a WNBA team. We see that as an opportunity and we have to work together with the Mercury and also the Suns and other entities in the community to leverage that.”
The WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix earlier this year delivered a record 3.4 million viewers, while Footprint Center held 16,407 fans.
“Women’s basketball is uniquely positioned because we are a year-round sport,” Holzman said. “You go from our regular season into a great championship. There’s a lot of great excitement around it and we’ve gathered a lot of fans around the championship with the competitiveness and the players and then it immediately goes to the WNBA Draft and WNBA season. As that finishes up, we’re about to start the season over again. For women’s basketball, you have an opportunity for fans to stay engaged and follow the players throughout the entirety of their careers.”
Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix unveils 2026 Women’s Final Four logo
