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With the regionals finished, the NCAA moves onto the Women’s College World Series. The eight best teams across division one college softball compete to hoist the NCAA D1 trophy on the field.
The tournament starts on Thursday, May 28, while the series ends on Friday, June 5 — if the championship series goes to three games. All games take place at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
At a Glance: How to Watch 2026 NCAA Women’s College World Series Online
Meanwhile, there may be a few celebrity sightings during the tournament, especially school alumni, such as Texas’ Matthew McConaughey and Renée Zellweger, Tennessee’s Morgan Wallen, UCLA’s Sara Bareilles, Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes and others. Livestream to see which celebrities are at games this year.
Additionally, the ratings for NCAA Women’s College World Series have grown in popularity year-over-year. In 2025, the games drew in an average of 1.3 million viewers, a 24% increase from 2024, per ESPN. If trends keep up, we’re expecting more growth in 2026 with the rising popularity of women’s sports overall.
How to Watch 2026 NCAA Women’s College World Series Without Cable
While the Women’s College World Series broadcasts on TV across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, games can be streamed on internet-based streaming cable services, like DirecTV and Hulu + Live TV. Postseason games are also available to livestream on platforms, such as ESPN Unlimited.
Ahead, find out how to watch the Women’s College World Series with and without a cable subscription.
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DirecTV
Watch the NCAA Women’s College World Series with DirecTV, which carries ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, along with more than 90 other channels. Sports fans can watch games for free with the cable streamer’s five-day free trial. Afterwards, you can either cancel the service or keep watching, with prices at $59.99 per month for the first month of service ($89.99 per month afterwards) for the entry-level “Entertainment” package with the streamer’s current deals.
Sling is one of the most affordable options. If you’d like to watch the NCAA Women’s College World Series on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, go with the Orange + Blue plan — prices starting at $60.99 per month. Meanwhile, ESPNU for college sports is available 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.
To watch ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC online, a subscription to Hulu + Live TV is a fantastic option. The streaming service includes Disney+, ESPN Unlimited and access to more than 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. It includes unlimited cloud DVR, too. Hulu offers a three-day free trial.
To watch Women’s College World Series games on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC is through Fubo. The streaming service starts at $48.99 for the first month ($73.99 per month afterwards) for more than 200 channels with the streamer’s current 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 free, the online TV streaming service offers a one-day free trial for new subscribers.
ESPN Unlimited
Starting at $29.99 per month, ESPN Unlimited features Women’s College World Series games.
ESPN Unlimited livestreams all games during the Women’s College World Series. If you’re not a subscriber, you can sign up for ESPN Unlimited starting at $29.99 per month. The streaming service includes all of the sports network’s 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 2026 NCAA Women’s College World Series With Cable
The Women’s College World Series airs across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. You can watch by tuning in through your cable TV provider, on ESPN.com and ESPN mobile apps with your cable TV account login — including streaming and traditional services, such as DirecTV, Sling, Verizon, Xfinity and others.
Which Teams Are 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 tournament. Below, you’ll find a list of the teams participating.
- 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 a complete NCAA Women’s College World Series tournament bracket here.
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