Phoenix won the right to host in a competitive bid process that included three other finalists to host the 2025 and 2026 Women's Final Fours. It will mark the first time that Phoenix has hosted the nation's top collegiate women's basketball championship, which has not been staged in the West since 2012. As some would say -- actually did say -- it is in ASU's DNA to host this.
The Valley's bid was a collaborative effort, with the City of Phoenix, Visit Phoenix, the Phoenix Suns and Mercury teaming up with the PLOC.
The national semifinals are set for Friday, April 3, 2026 at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix, with the national championship game tipping off on Sunday, April 5. As was the case at the 2017 and 2024 Men's Final Fours, a lot is going on during and prior.
Thank you, Cleveland.
— NCAA Women's Final Four (@WFinalFour) April 10, 2024
2024 NCAA #WFinalFour by the Numbers. pic.twitter.com/Ym6NqmTckF
The 2026 Women's Final Four completes Arizona's resume as one the nation's leading destination for major collegiate championships. The Valley was the site of the 2023 Super Bowl and the 2024 NCAA Men's Final Four, along with both the NCAA men's and women's golf championships at Grayhawk Golf Club's Raptor course for three straight years (2021-2023).
ARIZONA STATE NCAA HOSTING (2021-26)
2021 NCAA Men's & Women's Golf Championships - Grayhawk Golf Club, Scottsdale
2022 NCAA Men's & Women's Golf Championships - Grayhawk Golf Club, Scottsdale
2023 NCAA Men's & Women's Golf Championships - Grayhawk Golf Club, Scottsdale
2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four - State Farm Stadium, Glendale
2025 NCAA Women's Golf Regionals Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club, Gold Canyon
2026 NCAA Men's Golf Regionals - Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club, Maricopa
2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four - Footprint Center, Phoenix
2026 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Regionals - Desert Financial Arena, Tempe
ABOUT THOSE GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2021 national championship was the first time ASU had hosted an NCAA Golf Championship since the women hosted in 1992. It was the first time either the men's or women's championship had been hosted in the southwest since the 2012 men's tournament in Pacific Palisades, CA, and the 2008 women's tournament in New Mexico.
SOME OTHER REGIONAL ACTION COMING UP
ASU will host three additional regionals in next few years, including the 2025 NCAA Women's Golf Regional at Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club in Gold Canyon, the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Regional at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, and the 2026 NCAA Division I Women's Gymnastics Regional at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe (same weekend as the women's Final Four).
LINKS/STORIES
--Phoenix/ASU selected to host 2026 NCAA Women's Final Four (azcentral.com)
--Phoenix to host 2026 NCAA women's basketball Final Four (arizonasports.com)
--Phoenix to host 2026 NCAA Women's Final Four (AZ Family/KTVK-3)
--Phoenix to host NCAA Women's Final Four in 2026 (State Press)
--In our DNA (Cronkite News)
ABOUT THE NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a member-led organization dedicated to the well-being and lifelong success of college athletes. Nearly half a million college athletes make up the 19,886 teams that send more than 57,661 participants to compete each year in the NCAA's 90 championships in 24 sports across three divisions. For more information, please visit the respective home pages for NCAA Women's Basketball and the Women's Final Four.
DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE FIESTA BOWL -- BEEN DOING IT SINCE 1971
Since 1971, the Fiesta Bowl has been a prominent player at the highest level of college football. Known as the "Bowl of Firsts," it will host the first College Football Playoff Quarterfinal -- within the expanded CFP -- on December 31, 2024. Some of college football's most memorable moments happened at the Fiesta Bowl, including the 2003 and 2007 Fiesta Bowls that are considered two of the top five games in college football history.