2026 WCWS – The 2026 Women’s College World Series opens Thursday, May 28, at Devon Park in Oklahoma City with eight teams in double-elimination play. The title series begins June 3, with finals games set across ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2.
The first games of the 2026 Women’s College World Series won’t wait for anybody.
On Thursday, May 28, eight teams open play at Devon Park in Oklahoma City in a double-elimination format, turning the opening day into a must-watch start before the bracket starts to narrow. The last two teams will then meet in a best-of-three championship series beginning June 3.
Even with the OU softball program absent, Oklahoma City still has a strong SEC footprint. No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Texas, No. 5 Arkansas, No. 7 Tennessee and Mississippi State are all part of the field.
But the non-SEC teams are part of the reason this tournament feels loaded from the jump. No. 4 Nebraska is led by two-way star Jordy Frahm, who won two titles with OU before transferring to her home state. No. 8 UCLA carries a different kind of weight—UCLA is the sport’s all-time leader with 12 NCAA titles. No. 11 Texas Tech returns after a runner-up finish last year.
The early schedule is tight, with the bracket built to keep teams moving through Devon Park’s first stretch of games:
All times Central
Thursday, May 28
Game 9: Texas vs. Game 8 loser, 2 p.m., ABC
Game 10: UCLA vs. Game 7 loser, 6 p.m., ESPN2
Friday, May 29
Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 11 a.m., ESPN
Game 12 (if necessary): Game 7 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 1:30 p.m., ESPN
Saturday, May 30
Game 13: Game 8 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 6 p.m., ESPN2
Game 14 (if necessary): Game 8 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 8:30 p.m., ESPN2
Sunday, May 31
— No additional listed games on the schedule provided for this date —
Monday, June 1
— No additional listed games on the schedule provided for this date —
Tuesday, June 2
— No additional listed games on the schedule provided for this date —
Wednesday, June 3
WCWS finals Game 1: TBD vs. TBD, 7 p.m., ESPN
Thursday, June 4
WCWS finals Game 2: TBD vs. TBD, 7 p.m., ESPN
Friday, June 5 (if necessary)
WCWS finals Game 3: TBD vs. TBD, 7 p.m., ESPN
The tournament’s broader slate lines up around those championship dates as the NCAA softball season moves from the selection show into regional play. The selection show is set for May 10 at 6 p.m. on ESPN2. Regionals run May 15-17, followed by super regionals May 21-24. The Women’s College World Series runs May 28 through June 4/5.
For viewers, the TV path is clear in the early bracket and the finals: ABC and ESPN2 handle key mid-day matchups in Oklahoma City, while ESPN takes over for later games and the championship series that begins June 3.
2026 WCWS schedule Women's College World Series bracket Devon Park Oklahoma City NCAA softball Alabama Texas Arkansas Tennessee Mississippi State Nebraska Jordy Frahm UCLA Texas Tech TV schedule ESPN ESPN2 ABC
Wait so it starts Thursday but also says June 3 finals? I’m confused lol
UCLA having 12 titles is crazy, like why isn’t everyone talking about them more. ABC/ESPN shuffle is gonna be annoying though.
Texas vs the loser of Game 8 at 2pm on ABC… so does that mean Texas is basically already done if they lose once? Double elimination is kinda dumb imo
No OU this year but Oklahoma City still has Alabama/Texas/Arkansas/Tennessee etc. I thought Oklahoma owned the whole tournament? Also the bracket times don’t even list the Sunday games… so is it happening or what?