Which teams are already in the Women’s March Madness field? 2026 NCAA Tournament automatic bids

March Madness is here, and the field for the 2026 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament is nearly complete.

Conference tournaments across the country wrapped up this week, awarding 31 automatic bids to league champions. The remaining spots in the 68-team bracket will be filled with at-large selections, which will be revealed during the Selection Sunday show later tonight (March 15).

Here’s how the selection process works and which teams have already secured their place in the tournament.

How teams qualify for the women’s NCAA Tournament

The women’s NCAA Tournament includes 68 teams:

• 31 automatic bids go to conference tournament champions.
• The remaining 37 spots are at-large selections, chosen by the NCAA selection committee based on performance metrics such as NET rankings, strength of schedule and overall season.

The full bracket will be revealed on Selection Sunday, with the tournament beginning later in March.

Teams already in the 2026 women’s NCAA Tournament

As of March 15, the following conference champions have secured automatic bids:

• Vermont - America East
• UTSA - American Conference
• Rhode Island - Atlantic 10
• Duke - ACC
• Jacksonville - ASUN
• West Virginia - Big 12
• UConn - Big East
• Idaho - Big Sky
• High Point - Big South
• UCLA - Big Ten
• UC San Diego - Big West
• Charleston - Colonial Athletic Association
• Missouri State - Conference USA
• Green Bay - Horizon League
• Princeton - Ivy League
• Fairfield - Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
• Ball State - Mid-American Conference
• Norfolk State - MEAC
• Drake - Missouri Valley Conference
• Colorado State - Mountain West
• Fairleigh Dickinson - Northeast Conference
• Western Illinois - Ohio Valley Conference
• Lehigh - Patriot League
• Texas - SEC
• Samford - Southern Conference
• McNeese - Southland Conference
• Southern - SWAC
• South Dakota State - Summit League
• James Madison - Sun Belt
• California Baptist - WAC
• Gonzaga - West Coast Conference

Power conferences already sending teams to the bracket

Several major conferences have already crowned champions that could contend for top seeds in the tournament.

• UCLA won the Big Ten tournament after a dominant run through the bracket.
• West Virginia defeated TCU to claim the Big 12 championship.
• Texas captured the SEC title with a win over South Carolina.
• UConn continued its dominance in the Big East tournament to earn another NCAA berth.

With conference play finished, the remaining 37 spots in the field will now be determined by the NCAA selection committee.

When is the women’s bracket revealed?

The bracket for the 2026 NCAA Women’s Tournament will be announced during the Selection Sunday broadcast.

• Date: Sunday, March 15, 2026
• Time: 8 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
• Streaming: ESPN.com and ESPN app

During the show, the committee will unveil the full 68-team bracket, including the No. 1 seeds and all first-round matchups.

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