INDIANAPOLIS — The field of 64 teams, which will compete for the 40th NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship, was announced this afternoon by the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Committee.
Thirty-one conferences were granted automatic bids for the 2021 championship, while the remaining 33 teams were selected at-large. The top 16 teams are seeded and conference teams cannot play each other in the first or second rounds. When pairing teams, the committee follows geographic proximity parameters. The top 16 teams will host, and all other sites were selected for the first round to create the least number of flights.
The four No. 1 seeds include three teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference, with Florida State, the league’s automatic qualifier, being joined by Duke and Virginia. Rutgers was a perfect 10-0 in Big Ten play this season, and the Scarlet Knights round out the top seeds.
2021 CHAMPIONSHIP: See the interactive bracket | Championship info
The No. 2 seeds are Arkansas, Michigan, North Carolina, and UCLA, while the four No. 3 seeds are Georgetown, Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Southern California. Auburn, BYU, Pepperdine, and TCU round out the seeded teams as the No. 4 seeds.
In addition to landing three of the four top seeds, the ACC led all conferences with nine teams in the field. The SEC followed with seven representatives, while the Big Ten will send six teams into the postseason.
Grand Canyon won the automatic bid out of the Western Athletic Conference and will be making the program’s first appearance in the NCAA DI Women’s Soccer Championship.
First round action will be played November 12-14, while the second/third-rounds will be held November 19 and 21, with the quarterfinals on November 26 or 27. This 40th annual NCAA Women’s College Cup will be played Dec. 3 and 5 at Stevens Stadium in Santa Clara, California, with Santa Clara University, the West Coast Conference, and the San Jose Sports Authority all serving as hosts. The first national semifinal will be played and broadcast live on ESPNU at 7 p.m. Eastern time Friday, Dec. 3, followed by the second semifinal beginning at approximately 9:30 p.m. Eastern time live on ESPNU. The national championship match will take place at 8 p.m. Eastern time Sunday, Dec. 5 and will also broadcast live on ESPNU.
| CONFERENCE | SCHOOL |
|---|---|
| America East Conference | Vermont |
| American Athletic Conference | Memphis |
| Atlantic 10 Conference | Saint Louis |
| Atlantic Coast Conference | Florida State |
| ASUN Conference | Lipscomb |
| Big 12 Conference | TCU |
| Big East Conference | Georgetown |
| Big Sky Conference | Montana |
| Big South Conference | High Point |
| Big Ten Conference | Michigan |
| Big West Conference | UC Irvine |
| Colonial Athletic Association | Hofstra |
| Conference USA | Old Dominion |
| Horizon League | Milwaukee |
| Ivy League | Brown |
| Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | Monmouth |
| Mid-American Conference | Bowling Green |
| Missouri Valley Conference | Loyola Chicago |
| Mountain West Conference | New Mexico |
| Northeast Conference | Central Connecticut State |
| Ohio Valley Conference | SIUE |
| Pac-12 Conference | UCLA |
| Patriot League | Bucknell |
| Southeastern Conference | Tennessee |
| Southern Conference | Samford |
| Southland Conference | Northwestern State |
| Southwestern Athletic Conference | Prairie View A&M |
| The Summit League | South Dakota State |
| Sun Belt Conference | South Alabama |
| West Coast Conference | Santa Clara |
| Western Athletic Conference | Grand Canyon |
To find the complete 2021 NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship bracket visit NCAA.com.
