NCAA Women’s Basketball 2026: How to Watch the Final Four and Championship Games

Anyone else getting March Madness déjà vu? All the NCAA women’s basketball teams from last year’s semifinals are returning for the 2026 Final Four.

That means the UConn Huskies, UCLA Bruins, Texas Longhorns, and South Carolina Gamecocks will duke it out for a national championship ring once again. The question remains if the reigning champs at UConn will take home their second consecutive title or if one of the other top-seed teams can shut down their undefeated season.

There’s a quiet confidence to this year’s UConn team that will be hard for any opponent to shake, despite their loss of iconic alum Paige Bueckers. “It’s a more calming energy this year,” UConn star senior Azzi Fudd recently told Just Women’s Sports. “Not in a sense of feeling complacent, but it’s not as frantic as I feel like the energy was before.”

Still, they’ll have to get through last year’s runner-ups, the South Carolina Gamecocks, to progress to the final—and that’s no easy task, according to UConn coach Geno Auriemma. “I refuse to watch any South Carolina tape, because it scares me how good they are,” Auriemma said after his team’s Elite Eight victory against Notre Dame, per CT Insider.

He’s rightfully worried about every team in the 2026 Final Four. “People say, ‘Hey, did you watch the Texas game?’ and I say, ‘No. It is frightening watching them play with how big and how talented they are,’” he continued. “UCLA has a lot of guys back from last year’s team…. It is supposed to be that way, right? The Final Four is supposed to be really, really hard.”

Clearly, women’s basketball fans have a lot to look forward to this weekend. Here’s how and when to watch the NCAA women’s basketball Final Four and championship games taking place in Phoenix. Plus, which players to keep a close eye on during each game.

Where is the NCAA Final Four and championship Weekend?

All three games will take place at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix.

When are the NCAA Final Four games, and how do I watch?

The NCAA semifinals take place on Friday, April 3. The games will kick off with a rematch between the UConn Huskies and last year’s runner-ups, the South Carolina Gamecocks. Afterward, the UCLA Bruins will face the Texas Longhorns in game two.

Game One: UConn (38-0) vs. South Carolina (35-3) at 7 p.m. ET.

Game Two: UCLA (35-1) vs. Texas (35-3) at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Both games air on ESPN. They’re also available to stream on ESPN.com, the ESPN app, and Fubo, which offers a free trial for new subscribers.

When is the Women’s NCAA championship game, and how do I watch?

The winners of the semifinal games will battle it out on April 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET.

The championship game airs on ABC and will be available to stream on ESPN.com, the ESPN app, and Fubo.

Which players on each team should I be keeping an eye on?

UConn Huskies: Though there’s been some debate, fifth-year senior Azzi Fudd is widely projected to go number one in the WNBA draft thanks to her strong basketball IQ and scoring ability (she’s averaged 17.5 points per game this season). The team leader also has a lot of support from sophomore forward Sarah Strong, who leads UConn in points, rebounds, blocks, and steals. It’s no wonder Strong was named the 2026 Naismith Player of the Year, the award given to the top women’s basketball player in the country.

South Carolina Gamecocks: At the start of the season, it was unclear how the Gamecocks would fare without Chloe Kitts, who had torn her ACL during practice before the season started. Luckily, they’ve had sophomore forward Joyce Edwards, who is currently averaging 19.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. According to USA Today, Edwards is only six points away from scoring the most single-season points in Gamecocks history.

UCLA Bruins: No Final Four team is quite as stacked with 2026 WNBA rookie prospects as UCLA. Not one but six Bruins are expected to be drafted this year, which would be a first for the league. With Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice, Gianna Kneepkens, Gabriela Jaquez, Charlisse Leger-Walker, and Angela Dugalic at the helm, UCLA has never had a better shot at its first-ever championship title.

Texas Longhorns: Senior guard Rori Harmon is Texas’s all-time leader in steals and assists. But when it comes to scoring, junior forward Madison Booker is leading the charge with points and rebounds, averaging 19.3 points per game and 6.7 rebounds this season.