Could a future NCAA Women’s Final Four be moving in to the desert? That will be the case if the city of Phoenix gets its wish.
Phoenix City Council approves resolution supporting NCAA Women’s Final Four bid
— jeffmetcalfe (@jeffmetcalfe) January 8, 2020
The nine-member Phoenix City Council, which includes Democratic mayor Kate Gallego, approved a resolution in support of bringing the conclusion of the 2025 or 2026 NCAA season to the Valley of the Sun. Arizona has never hosted a Women’s Final Four, but last hosted the 2017 men’s Final Four in Glendale at State Farm Stadium, where North Carolina was the team that cut down the nets.
That same venue in Glendale is also scheduled to be the host site for the 2024 men’s Final Four.
The NCAA will announce finalists for the 2025 and 2026 women’s Final Fours later in the month. The successful bids will be announced during the Fall.
The likeliest venue that would host the women’s Final Four would be Talking Stick Resort Arena, the home venue of the Phoenix Mercury and Suns. The arena is in the midst of a $230 million renovation that has moved the Mercury into Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum for the next few seasons.
A Phoenix bid has the potential to be very successful as the success of the Mercury has made Arizona into a hub of the women’s game. When one thinks of women’s basketball and Arizona, Diana Taurasi and Brittany Griner – two of the greatest players in WNBA history – have to come to mind. Phoenix has also won three championships in the Taurasi era.
