The NCAA announced Wednesday Phoenix will be hosting the 2026 Women's Final Four.
ASU will serve as the host school, and games will be played over Easter weekend at Talking Stick Resort Arena in downtown Phoenix. The semifinal games will be played on April 3, 2026 with the national championship being played on April 5. Since 2019, Talking Stick Resort has been undergoing a $230 million renovation project expected to be completed by 2022.
This is the first time ever Phoenix will be hosting this event and the first time since 2012 the Women's Final Four was held in the Mountain and Pacific time zones. In January, the city was named as a finalist for the 2025 and 2026 tournaments — the 2025 Final Four was given to Tampa Bay.
Vice President for University Athletics Ray Anderson said the announcement marks "a landmark day for ASU" in a statement released Wednesday.
The statement described the bid as a collaborative between Visit Phoenix, the City of Phoenix, the Phoenix Suns, the Phoenix Mercury, Talking Stick Resort Arena and the Phoenix Local Organizing Committee.
"We will apply our trademark innovation to provide an unforgettable experience for the NCAA, student-athletes, alumni, media and fans," Anderson said in the statement. "We thank the NCAA for entrusting the Valley with this iconic championship."
In the 2019 NCAA Women's Tournament, ASU defeated University of Central Florida and University of Miami to make it to the Sweet Sixteen before losing to Mississippi State.
The following year, the Sun Devils lost to California in the 2020 Pac-12 tournament, but ASU was not given a chance at competing in the 2020 tournament as it was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Reach the reporter at cvanligt@asu.edu and follow @Connor_VL on Twitter.
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