Phoenix, Arizona State lead charge toward historic 2026 NCAA Tournament at PHX Arena

The 2026 NCAA Womens Final Four is less than a year away and will take place in the Valley for the first time.The 2026 Phoenix Local Organizing Committee has been looking ahead to the event for several months, preparing to host at the recently renamed PHX Arena formerly Footprint Center.

The theme of this Womens Final Four will be empowering women, and the committee plans on pulling out all the stops to live up to that slogan.Anytime you can do something for the first time, thats a tremendous responsibility and a tremendous opportunity for Arizona, said Kyle Hedstrom, the committees head of events, finance and partnerships.

Obviously womens (basketball) is on a tear right now in terms of viewership and engagement around the sport, so its incredibly exciting and were looking forward to it.The womens national championship game reached a record viewership of nearly 19 million in 2024, largely thanks to the anticipation of Caitlin Clark and Iowa against undefeated South Carolina.

In 2025, however, the numbers dipped to 8.6 million as Paige Bueckers and UConn halted South Carolinas pursuit of back-to-back titles.Jen Barnett, the committees head of operations and social responsibility, believes that next years Final Four will be an amazing opportunity as the sport continues to grow in visibility and support.We are so excited; this is a historic event for us, said Barnett, who previously worked as the event manager for the Phoenix Mercury.

It could not come at a better time, interest in womens sports, specifically womens basketball, is at an all-time high, so what better chance for us to highlight Arizona and Phoenix on a national and global stage.The Womens Final Four lasts just one weekend, but planning and preparation for the event and its supporting festivities begin over a year in advance.

Typically, pregame events, festivals, convention centers and concerts are thrown into the mix in addition to the games.

This adds more entertainment for fans and locals, but it also makes the local organizing committees job that much harder.The 2025 championship game was held in Tampa, and members of Phoenixs committee attended to get an idea of what to expect next year.Tampa did a phenomenal job of hosting, Barnett said.

Theyve done it a record four times, so as a location whos never hosted, we couldnt ask for a better place to go observe and see what they did.

They set the bar high, but we know Arizona is primed and ready to raise it even higher.The Phoenix area is no stranger to primetime events, having previously hosted three Super Bowls, the Mens Final Four in 2017 and 2024, and the 2016 College Football Playoff Championship game.

Hedstrom has prior experience hosting big games himself, including Super Bowl 57, so he is familiar with the workload as the countdown gets closer to tip-off.It looks like were going to need the next 358 days, but weve got some tremendous experience here, at ASU, at the arena, and with our partners at the city of Phoenix, Hedstrom said.

Well be meeting monthly, starting next month, with the NCAA.

So, its a lot, but were ready for it.The committee is aware that they need to engage local stakeholders and fundraise ahead of these types of major events.

Barnett also mentioned that they are pulling in a wide variety of notable individuals for support, such as local elected officials and business leaders.Weve got our local stakeholders leaning all the way in, weve got a great host venue at PHX Arena and a great host institution at ASU, Barnett said.

Everyone will come together and make this the best Womens Final Four yet.Hedstrom and Barnett added that theyve already seen an encouraging amount of support around the Final Four from the local community.

The Phoenix Suns and the Phoenix Mercury have joined the support as well, and members of the PHX Arena team also made the trip to Tampa.Its a big, important piece of this, and we take it very seriously, Barnett said.

When you think about the athletes, this is probably the pinnacle of their basketball career.

We want to make sure Arizona rolls out the red carpet and makes this the best experience possible.Then you think about all the women and young girls watching, we want to do the same for them.

Lets get them excited and energized around sports.The committee has a lot of work ahead, but they arent losing sight of their first priority: the players.They are thrilled to be a part of this, and I think the number one thing is ensuring that they have a great experience, Barnett said.

Its their safety, its their sleep, its their transportation.

Is this the most seamless experience they can have? Thats what we want to provide.The next 350 days will be hectic for every member of the Final Four committee.

Hedstrom doesnt doubt that there will be a few hiccups along the way, but hes confident that they will be able to handle any issues that arise.The biggest challenge is usually the one you dont know about yet, but again, weve got tremendous partners who have a lot of experience in planning these major events, Hedstrom said.

With this being the first time weve ever hosted, Im sure well have some lessons in doing all of this, but we have every bit of confidence that well come out of it with resounding success.For now, the committee plans to take the entire process day by day.

Whether its Juju Watkins and USC, Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles with Notre Dame, or the dangerously consistent Gamecocks that show up to compete in Arizona next year, Phoenixs first Womens Final Four should be worth the wait.Theres never been a better time to host a womens sporting event, Barnett said.

The world is watching, and we are ready.This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix, ASU lead charge toward historic 2026 Women's Final Four.

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