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The calendar flipping to May means it's NCAA lacrosse time once again.
Every year brings something new but the usual suspects lead the way in the 2026 women's tournament. Northwestern, North Carolina, Maryland or Boston College has won every title but one since 2005 (the exception being James Madison in 2018), and the first three teams also are the top three seeds this time.
The Tar Heels defeated the Wildcats in last year's final, but Northwestern handed UNC its only regular-season loss this year in an overtime thriller in Chapel Hill back in March and earned the No. 1 seed in the bracket. Are those two on a collision course once again or will another team break through?
Here's everything you need to know to watch this year's tournament.
NCAA women's lacrosse bracket 2026
The bracket consists of 29 teams, with 15 automatic and 14 at-large selections. The top eight schools are seeded nationally and the top three receive first-round byes. The eight seeds are as follows; see the full game schedule below.
- Northwestern
- North Carolina
- Maryland
- Johns Hopkins
- Stony Brook
- Navy
- Michigan
- Colorado
Where to watch NCAA women's lacrosse tournament
The 2026 NCAA women's lacrosse tournament will air on multiple ESPN platforms, including the quarterfinals and semifinals on ESPNU and the championship game on ESPN.
All of those games will also be available to stream via fubo, which offers a free trial. Fans can also stream those games and every first- and second-round game with the ESPN app.
Now you can watch ESPN without cable. Stream live NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, college sports, plus SportsCenter, First Take, and all your favorite ESPN shows—anytime, anywhere—only in the ESPN app.
NCAA women's lacrosse tournament schedule, scores 2026
Friday, May 8: First round
No. 1 Northwestern, No. 2 North Carolina and No. 3 Maryland have first-round byes. The eight national seeds host first- and second-round games.
| No. 5 Stony Brook 19, Stonehill 5 | — | — |
| Rutgers 12, Princeton 11 | — | — |
| No. 4 Johns Hopkins 21, UAlbany 7 | — | — |
| No. 6 Navy 17, UMass 16 | — | — |
| No. 7 Michigan 18, Mercer 8 | — | — |
| Boston College 10, Yale 4 | — | — |
| James Madison 13, Notre Dame 12 | — | — |
| Clemson 19, Davidson 6 | — | — |
| No. 8 Colorado 10, Jacksonville 9 | — | — |
| Stanford 7, Penn State 5 | — | — |
| Army 20, Fairfield 8 | — | — |
| Syracuse 8, Loyola Maryland 6 | — | — |
| Denver 16, Florida 8 | — | — |
Sunday, May 10: Second round
| No. 5 Stony Brook 10, Boston College 9 | — | — |
| No. 3 Maryland 11, Rutgers 8 | — | — |
| No. 2 North Carolina 17, Clemson 6 | — | — |
| No. 4 Johns Hopkins 21, Army 13 | — | — |
| Stanford 13, No. 7 Michigan 12 | — | — |
| No. 6 Navy 11, Syracuse 10 (OT) | — | — |
| No. 1 Northwestern 17, James Madison 5 | — | — |
| No. 8 Colorado 11, Denver 9 | — | — |
Thursday, May 14: Quarterfinals
| No. 4 Johns Hopkins 13, No. 5 Stony Brook 12 | — | — |
| No. 1 Northwestern 13, No. 8 Colorado 12 (2 OT) | — | — |
| No. 3 Maryland 14, No. 6 Navy 10 | — | — |
| No. 2 North Carolina 14, Stanford 11 | — | — |
Friday, May 22: Semifinals
Semifinals and final will be played at Northwestern
| No. 2 North Carolina 16, No. 3 Maryland 6 | — | — |
| No. 1 Northwestern vs. No. 4 Johns Hopkins | 5:30 p.m. | ESPNU, ESPN app, fubo |
Sunday, May 24: Championship
| Semifinal winners | 12 p.m. | ESPN, ESPN app, fubo |
NCAA women's lacrosse champions list
Here are the last 10 NCAA women's lacrosse champions and runners-up. There was no tournament in 2020 due to COVID-19.
| 2025 | North Carolina | Northwestern |
| 2024 | Boston College | Northwestern |
| 2023 | Northwestern | Boston College |
| 2022 | North Carolina | Boston College |
| 2021 | Boston College | Syracuse |
| 2019 | Maryland | Boston College |
| 2018 | James Madison | Boston College |
| 2017 | Maryland | Boston College |
| 2016 | North Carolina | Maryland |
| 2015 | Maryland | North Carolina |
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