NCAA Division I softball committee announces 2026 championship field

Key Points:

• The 64-team field for the 2026 NCAA Division I Softball Championship was announced, featuring 31 automatic qualifiers and 33 at-large selections, with the top 32 teams seeded nationally in pods of four for the first time.
• Regionals will be held May 15-17 as four-team, double-elimination tournaments, followed by super regionals from May 21-24 in a best-of-three format, leading to the Women’s College World Series from May 28-June 4/5 in Oklahoma City.
• Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska earned the top four seeds, with Texas winning the 2026 national championship by defeating Texas Tech in the finals; notable achievements include Oklahoma’s record-breaking offense and Texas’s first SEC title since 2005.
• Five teams—Akron, California Baptist, Idaho State, South Dakota, and Wagner—are making their first tournament appearances, while UCLA leads with 41 postseason appearances and Washington holds the longest active streak at 32 consecutive appearances.
• ESPN will provide comprehensive coverage of all regional sites, super regionals, and the Women’s College World Series, continuing its long-standing broadcast partnership with the NCAA Softball Championship.