With a record of 34-0, the UConn Huskies earned the top overall seed of the 68-team field for the 2026 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship.
The NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee awarded No. 1 seeds UConn, UCLA (31-1), Texas (31-3) and South Carolina (31-3).
The First Four games of the 2026 championship will take place March 18-19 and will be conducted on the campuses of four of the teams seeded in the top 16. First- and second-round games will take place March 20-23 on the campuses of the top 16 seeds.
Regional play in Fort Worth, Texas (Dickies Arena) and Sacramento, California (Golden 1 Center) will take place March 27-30, with each site hosting two regional semifinal games March 27 and two March 28. In addition, each site will host one regional championship game March 29 and one on March 30.
The 2026 NCAA Women’s Final Four will be played April 3 and 5 at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. This is the first time Phoenix will play host to the Women’s Final Four and the first time in 14 years that the event has taken place in the western side of the country.
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UConn, defending national champion, was selected as the No. 1 overall seed, leads Fort Worth Regional 1. As championship play begins, the Huskies will be looking for back-to-back national titles after claiming this year’s Big East Conference regular season and tournament championships.
UCLA will be the top-seeded team in Sacramento Regional 2. After losing to Texas on Nov. 26, UCLA has remained undefeated, claiming the regular-season and tournament Big Ten Conference championships.
Texas will be the top-seeded team in Fort Worth Regional 3. The Longhorns claimed the national championship in 1986. Splitting a regular season series with South Carolina, Texas beat South Carolina in the Southeastern Conference championship game, 78-61.
The regular season champion in the SEC, South Carolina will be the top seed in Sacramento Regional 4. The Gamecocks, looking for a fourth national title, were the 2025 national runners-up after losing to UConn, 82-59, in Tampa Bay, Florida.
The number listed next to the regional site location (e.g., Fort Worth Regional 1) reflects the true seed number of the number one seed within that respective regional pod.
Tennessee continues its appearance streak and is the only school to participate in all 44 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championships since its inception in 1982. On the other end of the spectrum, College of Charleston is making its first NCAA tournament appearance.
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Thirty-one conferences were granted automatic bids for the championship, and the remaining 37 teams were selected at-large.
In the 43-year history of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, 16 schools have captured the national title. UConn leads the way with 12 national championships, claiming its most recent in 2025, followed by Tennessee with eight.
