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With the regional playoffs over, the NCAA moves on to the Women’s College World Series. The top eight teams in Division I college softball compete to hoist the NCAA D1 Cup on the field.
The tournament begins on Thursday, May 28, while the series ends on Friday, June 5 – if the championship series continues to three games. All games will be held at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
At a glance: How to watch the 2026 NCAA Women’s College World Series online
- Broadcast date: From May 28 to June 5
- channel: ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC
- Stream online: DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling, ESPN Unlimited
Meanwhile, there may be a few celebrities during the tournament, especially alumni of the schools, such as Matthew McConaughey and Renee Zellweger of Texas, Morgan Wallen of Tennessee, Sara Bareilles of UCLA, Patrick Mahomes of Texas Tech and others. Stream live to see which celebrities are participating in this year’s games.
Additionally, the popularity of the NCAA Women’s College World Series rankings has increased year over year. In 2025, the games attracted an average of 1.3 million viewers, a 24% increase from 2024, according to ESPN. If trends continue, we expect further growth in 2026 as women’s sports overall grow in popularity.
How to watch the 2026 NCAA Women’s College World Series without cable
While the Women’s College World Series is televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, games can be streamed on online cable streaming services, such as DirecTV and Hulu + Live TV. Postseason games are also available for live streaming on platforms, such as ESPN Unlimited.
Learn how to watch the Women’s College World Series with and without a cable subscription.
Watch the NCAA Women’s College World Series with DirecTV, which broadcasts ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, plus over 90 other channels. Sports fans can watch the games for free with a five-day free trial of the cable broadcaster. After that, you can either cancel the service or continue watching, with prices at $59.99 per month for the first month of service ($89.99 per month after that) for the entry-level Entertainment package with the streamer’s current deals.
Sling is one of the most affordable options. If you want to watch the NCAA Women’s College World Series on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC, go with the Orange + Blue plan – with prices starting at $60.99 per month. Meanwhile, ESPNU is available for college sports through Sling’s Sports Extra package for an additional $11 per month. The sports package includes NHL Network, MLB Network, NBA TV, and more. Please note: Prices and channel availability depend on your local TV market.
Hulu + Live TV
To watch ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC online, subscribing to Hulu + Live TV is a great option. The streaming service includes Disney+, ESPN Unlimited, and access to 95+ live channels starting at $89.99 per month. In addition to live cable, Hulu + Live TV lets subscribers watch originals from Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN Unlimited. Also includes unlimited cloud DVR. Hulu offers a free three-day trial.
Fubo
Watch Women’s College World Series games on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC with Fubo. The streaming service starts at $48.99 for the first month ($73.99 per month after that) for 200+ channels with current streaming provider deals. You can record over 1,000 hours of TV shows, movies, games, and more to watch anytime across a number of devices. If you want to watch online for free, the IPTV service offers a free one-day trial for new subscribers.
ESPN Unlimited
Starting at $29.99 per month, ESPN Unlimited features Women’s College World Series games.
ESPN Unlimited is live streaming all games during the Women’s College World Series. If you’re not a subscriber, you can subscribe to ESPN Unlimited starting at $29.99 per month. The streaming service includes all of the network’s sports channels, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPN on ABC, ESPN+, SEC Network+, and ACC Network Extra, as well as original programming, such as The Pat McAfee Show, 30 for 30 And others.
How to watch the 2026 NCAA Women’s College World Series on cable
The Women’s College World Series is broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. You can watch through your cable TV provider, on ESPN.com and the ESPN mobile apps with a login to your cable TV account – including live streaming and traditional services, like DirecTV, Sling, Verizon, Xfinity and others.
Which teams are participating in the 2026 NCAA Women’s College World Series?
Although teams like Nebraska, Texas and UCLA are top contenders, Alabama is the favorite to win the entire softball championship. Below, you will find a list of participating teams.
- No. 1: Alabama Crimson Tide
- No. 2: Texas Longhorns
- No. 4: Nebraska Cornhuskers
- No. 5: Arkansas Razorbacks
- No. 7: Tennessee Volunteers
- No. 8: UCLA Bruins
- No. 11: Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Mississippi State Bulldogs
Check out the full NCAA Women’s College World Series bracket here.
