When is the March Madness women’s tournament? Dates, times, TV info

Let the madness of March begin!

It’s time for the Women’s NCAA Tournament and all of the chaos that comes with it, including shocking losses, triumphant wins and breakout stars. This year’s tournament promises to be exciting with top teams like undefeated UConn, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina.

The Huskies, Longhorns and Bruins won their conference tournaments and are primed for long runs in March Madness.

Last year’s national championship game was one for the ages as Paige Bueckers and the UConn Huskies won the program’s 12th title under head coach Geno Auriemma over South Carolina.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2026 women’s March Madness basketball tournament:

When is Selection Sunday 2026?

The 68-team bracket for the 2026 women’s basketball NCAA Tournament will be unveiled at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 15.

What channel is Selection Sunday on?

The 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament selection show will air on ESPN.

When does March Madness start?

The first women’s game of the 2026 NCAA Tournament will be on March 18, starting with the First Four.

March Madness 2026 schedule

The 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament unfolds over the course of nearly three weeks during March, with the Final Four and national championship game in April in Phoenix, Arizona.

Here’s the rundown of the schedule for the 2026 NCAA Tournament:

First round: March 20-21
Second round: March 22-23
Sweet 16: March 27-28 (Fort Worth and Sacramento)
Elite Eight: March 29-30 (Fort Worth and Sacramento)
Final Four: April 3 (Phoenix)
NCAA championship game: April 5 (Phoenix)

Women’s college basketball conference tournament dates, schedule

Horizon: March 2-10 (Indianapolis)
Sun Belt: March 3-9 (Pensacola, Florida)
ASUN: March 3-9 (Jacksonville, Florida)
OVC: March 4-7 (Evansville, Indiana)
ACC: March 4-8 (Duluth, Georgia)
A-10: March 4-8 (Henrico, Virginia)
Big South: March 4-8 (Johnson City, Tennessee)
Big Ten: March 4-8 (Indianapolis)
Big 12: March 4-8 (Kansas City)
SEC: March 4-8 (Greenville, SC)
Summit: March 4-8 (Sioux Falls, South Dakota)
MAAC: March 5-9 (Atlantic City, New Jersey)
SoCon: March 5-9 (Asheville, North Carolina)
WCC: March 5-10 (Las Vegas)
America East: March 9-13 (on campus)
Big East: March 6-9 (Uncasville, Connecticut)
Mountain West: March 7-10 (Las Vegas)
Big Sky: March 7-11 (Boise)
Patriot: March 7-15 (on campus)
Southland: March 9-12 (Lake Charles, Lousiana)
SWAC: March 9-14 (Atlanta)
NEC: March 9-15 (on campus)
American: March 10-14 (Birmingham, Alabama)
CUSA: March 10-14 (Huntsville, Alabama)
Big West: March 11-14 (Henderson, NV)
MAC: March 11-14 (Cleveland)
MEAC: March 11-14 (Norfolk, Virginia)
WAC: March 11-14 (Las Vegas)
CAA: March 11-15 (Washington, D.C.)
MVC: March 12-15 (Coralville, Iowa)
Ivy: March 13-15 (Ithaca, New York)

Where is the 2026 Final Four?

This year’s women’s basketball Final Four and championship games will be at Mortgage Matchup Arena in Phoenix on April 3 and 5.

Who won the 2025 women’s March Madness tournament?

Paige Buckers led the UConn Huskies to the program’s 12th national championship under UConn head coach Geno Auriemma with an 82–59 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks in the national title game. Auriemma’s 12 national championships are the most by any coach in both men’s and women’s college basketball, ahead of UCLA’s John Wooden, who has 10 titles.

In 2026, UConn is looking to become the first team to win back-to-back championships since the Huskies won four consecutive titles from 2013-2016.

Women’s March Madness champions by year

Here is every national champion and their record since the March Madness women’s basketball tournament began in 1982:

2024: South Carolina (38-0)
2022: South Carolina (35-2)
2020: Tournament was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic
2017: South Carolina (33-4)
2016: Connecticut (38-0)
2015: Connecticut (38-1)
2014: Connecticut (40-0)
2013: Connecticut (35-4)
2010: Connecticut (39-0)
2009: Connecticut (39-0)
2004: Connecticut (31-4)
2003: Connecticut (37-1)
2002: Connecticut (39-0)
2000: Connecticut (36-1)
1995: Connecticut (35-0)
1994: North Carolina (33-2)
1988: Louisiana Tech (32-2)
1985: Old Dominion (31-3)
1984: Southern California (29-4)
1983: Southern California (31-2)
1982: Louisiana Tech (35-1)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When is March Madness women’s hoops tournament? Dates, times, TV info

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