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After weeks of heated competition, it's time to name a champion. The 2026 NCAA bowling finals will get underway this weekend.
Twenty teams entered the playoff bracket, but only four remain — No. 1 Jacksonville State, No. 2 Vanderbilt, No. 3 Arkansas State and No. 4 Wichita State. Even after winning last year's championship, Youngstown State is notably absent from these finals.
The NCAA bowling championship began in 2004, and Nebraska holds the most titles of any program with six, but the Huskers did not make it past the regional round this year. Vanderbilt and Jacksonville State won championships in 2023 and 2024, respectively, but Wichita State has never made it to a title match. Arkansas State has been the national runner-up four times.
Who will claim national honors this year?
Here's everything you need to know about the NCAA bowling championship, including TV channel and streaming options for the 2026 competition.
Where to watch NCAA bowling championship: TV channel, live stream
The 2026 NCAA bowling semifinals will stream on NCAA.com, and the championship match Saturday will be on ESPNU. Fans can stream the final live on fubo.
Fubo offers a free trial for new subscribers, so you can try the service before you buy. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox and 100+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)
NCAA bowling championship start time
- Date: Friday, April 10 | Saturday, April 11
- Time: 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. ET
The 2026 NCAA bowling championship will take place on Friday, April 10, and Saturday, April 11. Matches will start at 9 a.m. ET on both days. Additional matches will be held at 3 p.m. ET on Friday and the final will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
The competition will take place at Yorktown Lanes in Parma Heights, Ohio.
NCAA bowling championship schedule 2026
Here's a look at the match schedule for Friday and Saturday
Friday, April 10 - Semifinals
| Match | Game | Time (ET) | Watch |
| 1 | No. 1 Jacksonville State vs. No. 4 Wichita State | 9 a.m. | NCAA.com |
| 2 | No. 2 Vanderbilt vs. No. 3 Arkansas State | 9 a.m. | NCAA.com |
| 3 | Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2 | 3 p.m. | NCAA.com |
| 4 | Loser of Match 1 vs. Loser of Match 2 | 3 p.m. | NCAA.com |
Saturday, April 11 - Finals
| Match | Game | Time (ET) | Watch |
| 5 | Winner of Match 4 vs. Loser of Match 3 | 9 a.m. | NCAA.com |
| Final | Winner of Match 3 vs. Winner of Match 5 | 6:30 p.m. | ESPNU, fubo |
NCAA bowling championship format 2026
All matches in the tournament will utilize the Mega Match format, except for the championship final match, which will follow the Baker best-of-seven play format.
A Mega Match is a best-of-three format bowled in the following order: five-person team, Baker total pinfall and Baker best-of-seven match play.
The five-person team portion is traditional. Five players from each team bowl a full match, then add up their individual scores to determine the team total. The Baker total pinfall portion consists of five games, and it is determined by adding the pinfall of each game together.
Baker best-of-seven match play is essentially a tiebreaker if both teams are deadlocked after the first two rounds. In the best-of-seven, the score of each game will be counted rather than adding five games together to determine a total.
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