March Madness is just around the corner. With less than two weeks till Selection Sunday, the excitement is at the top of all women's college basketball fans' minds. Right now, teams are making their final cases through the conference tournaments.
If you're aiming to keep up with all the action, look no further. We've got you covered with everything you need to know about the 2026 Women's March Madness tournament.
When does March Madness start?
If you're looking to be the first person to fill in your bracket, then you'll want to be paying attention during Selection Sunday. The seeding and 68-team bracket will be released on Sunday, March 15, at 8 p.m ET. The official tournament tips off with the First Four on Wednesday, March 18. The First Four will officially solidify the bracket. The First Round will begin on Friday, March 20.
March Madness Schedule and key dates
Round | Dates |
|---|---|
Conference Championships | Wednesday, March 4 - Sunday, March 15 |
Selection Sunday | Sunday, March 15 at 8 p.m. ET |
First Four | Wednesday, March 18 - Thursday, March 19 |
First Round (Round of 64) | Friday, March 20 - Saturday, March 21 |
Second Round (Round of 32) | Sunday, March 22 - Monday, March 23 |
Sweet 16 | Friday, March 27 - Saturday, March 28 |
Elite Eight | Sunday, March 29 - Monday, March 30 |
Final Four | Friday, April 3 |
National Championship Game | Sunday, April 5 |
Conference Tournaments hold a lot of weight in the March Madness bracket. Each conference champion receives an automatic bid to the tournament. It gives these squads the last chance to prove themselves before they put everything on the line in a win-or-go-home style.
Not only does it give that opportunity to teams outside of the power five conferences, but also the squads in those conferences. Specifically, teams in the SEC and Big Ten will be facing several title contenders on their way to their conference titles. They have the chance to secure a higher seeding heading into Selection Sunday.
March Madness locations
The First Four, First and Second Rounds of the Women's March Madness are all played at campus sites. The top 16-seeded teams will host their opponents at home. Those sites will be determined on Selection Sunday, when the official bracket is released. Beginning with the Sweet 16, all remaining teams will travel to various locations.
Round | Venue | Location | Date(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
Sweet 16, Elite Eight | Dickies Arena | Fort Worth, Texas | Friday, March 27 - Monday, March 30 |
Sweet 16, Elite Eight | Golden 1 Center | Sacramento, California | Friday, March 27 - Monday, March 30 |
Final Four, National Championship | Mortgage Matchup Center | Phoenix, Arizona | Friday, April 3 + Sunday, April 5 |
The players who play in the Final Four and National Championship games know Phoenix will be electric. We can suspect that NBA and WNBA fans will show out. Mortgage Matchup Center is home to both the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury, but out-of-town fans will surely make their way for the biggest women's basketball event of the year.
How does March Madness work?
All of this might be a little overwhelming. Thinking of how we get from all the NCAA D-1 women's basketball teams to only 68 in the bracket, to only one being crowned the champion would make anyone's head spin. So, let's break it down.
How bids-work:
As I previously mentioned, all conference champions get an automatic bid into March Madness. That means by the end of the conference tournaments, 31 teams have clinched their spot. So, where do the other 37 teams come from? They have to be chosen by the selection committee. The committee meets and decides which non-conference winners have made the best case to earn a spot in the tournament.
How the selection committee works:
The committee is made up of 12 members. The members come from different positions from all conferences. Throughout the season, these individuals are responsible for watching games and tracking which teams are building the best resumes to be considered for those final 37 spots. After deciding the remaining teams, the committee is responsible for seeding them.
How NCAA tournament seeds work:
Just because a team wins its conference title does not mean it will get a high seed. This works the opposite way as well. If a team goes into its conference tournament as the obvious favorites but gets upset, it doesn't mean their seeding automatically tanks in the NCAA tournament.
The committee ranks the teams. The four teams that they deem the best are named 1-seeds, and the next four are named 2-seeds. Each of the teams within the four regions on the bracket is seeded 1 through 16.