For only the third time in its history, the NCAA undertook a site selection process where most of its championships were put out for bid at the same time.
The result: The Association made more than 450 selections of host sites for preliminary rounds and final sites of predetermined championships in Divisions I, II and III, with most to be held from 2022-23 through 2025-26.
The NCAA received more than 3,000 bid submissions from NCAA member schools, conferences, sports commissions and cities vying to host predetermined rounds for 86 of the NCAA’s 90 championships. The sites were selected by the respective NCAA sports committees and approved by the divisional competition oversight and championships committees.
Division I baseball, Division I softball and the championship game of the Football Championship Subdivision were omitted from the process due to existing contracts. In addition, Division III women’s ice hockey was not included, as predetermined sites are not selected.
“The response of our membership, host cities and local organizing committees to this process was tremendous,” said Joni Comstock, NCAA senior vice president of championships. “Thanks to their commitment, we are excited that our student-athletes will play in some of the top locations and venues in the United States.”
Forty-three states plus the District of Columbia were selected to host at least one NCAA championship event, with California garnering the most, with 34. Texas was second with 30, while North Carolina totaled 28, followed by Pennsylvania with 27 and Ohio with 25.
This was the first time the site selection process has been held since the NCAA changed its policy preventing states with legal wagering based on single-game betting from hosting its championships. Therefore, the state of Nevada will host a predetermined NCAA championship for the first time since 1991, when the Thomas and Mack Center on the campus of UNLV hosted a Division I Women’s Basketball Regional. The Silver State will host 11 events, including a 2023 Division I Men’s Basketball Regional and the 2026 Men’s Frozen Four.
“While the NCAA seeks federal legislation to better regulate sports wagering, particularly to safeguard college sports competitions, we are excited to bring our national championships to Las Vegas,” said Dan Gavitt, the NCAA’s senior vice president of basketball. “The city has hosted numerous championships sponsored by our member conferences, and the experience of the teams and fans has been overwhelmingly positive. We anticipate that being the case for our championships as well.”
Another highlight of the site selection is the announcement of the 2025 and 2026 Division I Women’s Final Fours. Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, will serve as the site in 2025, while Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix will host in 2026. Tampa Bay will host the Women’s Final Four for a record fourth time, while Phoenix will host its first.
The University of South Florida and the Tampa Bay Sports Commission will serve as co-hosts, with games played April 4 and 6, 2025.
The state of Arizona will play host to the Women’s Final Four for the first time when Phoenix hosts in 2026. The national championship will be decided on April 5, 2026. Arizona State will serve as the host school.
In addition, Division II will host a basketball festival in 2026 with both its men’s and women’s Elite Eights at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh. In addition, Division II will continue to host its other National Championships Festivals, as the 2022 fall festival will be held in Seattle, with the 2024 spring festival in Orlando and the 2025 winter festival in Indianapolis.
In Division III, the Stagg Bowl, Division III’s football championship game, will be hosted in 2022 at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium on the campus of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, for the first time in history. Then, in 2023, the Stagg Bowl will return to Salem Stadium in Salem, Virginia, for the first time since 2017, the last of 25 straight championship games played in that venue.
(NCAA contributed to this report.)
