[By Parker Porrill](https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/author/parker-porrill/)
The countdown for the largest event in women’s basketball has officially begun.
The Valley can expect a massive influx of attention as it prepares for the first NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four in Phoenix, an event that will bring foot traffic and revenue to local businesses, Arizona State and women’s college hoops.
During the Women’s Final Four tip-off press conference on Tuesday at Mortgage Matchup Center, the host venue, headliners from across the NCAA, ASU athletics, the Suns, the Mercury and the City of Phoenix were on hand to ratchet up excitement for the event.
“I’ll be here – I’m taking my Suns hat off and (putting) my Final Four hat on,” said Josh Bartelstein, CEO of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury, of attending the games. “That’s what’s so fun about basketball right now. It’s going to be March Madness, a playoff push – every night you go put on TV, there’s really exciting basketball.”
Only 38 days remain until Final Four weekend arrives on April 3. Here’s a look at how it will impact the Valley.
**Local business**
The Women’s Final Four and the Valley can expect a boom in revenue as fans from across the country and the world come to Phoenix.
“(Sporting events like the Women’s Final Four) drive tourism and long-term economic benefit, support local businesses, and invite the world to experience everything that makes our state special – which if you ask me – is a whole lot,” Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said during a video played at the conference. “Time and again, we’ve shown that nobody hosts big sporting events better than Arizona, and the Women’s NCAA Final Four will be no different.”
The slogan “Free events. All ages. All weekend.” headlined the pitch that organizers will make to Valley residents in an effort to draw local fans to four featured Final Four events that will accompany the April 3 semifinals and April 5 championship game.
“We are going to put on a great show,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said. “The national championship and incredible, fun, friendly activities for the whole family are coming to downtown Phoenix … I’m confident … this will be the best Women’s Final Four.”
A Super Saturday Concert, Tourney Town, Bounce and the Super Saturday Practice are the four free featured events that are spread across the Phoenix-area in hopes of driving attendance.
From a free concert to a parade of basketballs to an open practice where fans can interact with their favorite stars, the 2026 Women’s Final Four can expect a vast variety of activities designed to appeal to everyone in the Valley.
**Arizona State**
Arizona State is the host school for the Women’s Final Four and the Sun Devils hope to take full advantage of that stage.
ASU athletic director Graham Rossini and ASU women’s coach Molly Miller took part in two of the conference’s panel discussions. They each spoke highly of the opportunities available to ASU, which will be at the epicenter of the women’s college game.
“By being the host institution, people are going to say, ‘Hey! Look at the year that coach Miller and ASU has had,’” Rossini said. “‘Look at the incredible momentum behind the program. Look at the talent that’s developing under her coaching staff.’
“It’s a recruiting showcase, not only for our institution, but specifically our women’s basketball program, and we can’t wait to take advantage of that.”
Miller was coach at Grand Canyon University last season and helped the Antelopes book their first ticket to the NCAA Tournament. She took over at ASU this season. On Tuesday, Miller reflected on the growth GCU experienced when they reached the tournament and what a berth this year would mean for ASU.
“It’s huge because we’ve been to the tournament with (former ASU coach) Charli Turner Thorne, who has been to Sweet 16s and Elite 8s,” Miller said. “So now I feel like, for me, it’s getting this program back to its rightful spot … and we’re motivated and right now we’ve got to do our job and finish this season strong.”
Arizona State is looking to have an impact on the Women’s Final Four – on the court and off of it. With a lot of basketball still to be played, the Sun Devils are regarded as a team that is still on the bubble of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
**The growth of women’s basketball**
Women’s college basketball has experienced a spike in popularity over recent seasons with the emergence of individual stars such as Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Cameron Brink. They have moved to the WNBA, but new standouts such as USC’s JuJu Watkins and UConn’s Page Bueckers continue to grow the game.
The Women’s Final Four this year hopes to showcase the sport on a scale it has not reached before.
“Last year, the men’s and women’s March Madness games that ESPN helped distribute internationally, there were I believe it was about 146 countries,” said Lynn Holzman, NCAA vice president of women’s basketball. “This year, it’s going to be 267 countries, which is the exact same number of countries for men’s and women’s basketball.”
This growth in viewership across many countries coincides with a growth in diversity in the sport’s audiences and fans.
Miller said in her panel discussion that the sport in her lifetime has transitioned from diehard basketball fans only, to a wider scale that includes the everyday sports fans.
This notion was backed by Meg Aronowitz, ESPN’s vice president of production, who has noticed a trend in the audience of the sport.
“The audience growth has been terrific and the audience growth in specific demographics,” Aronowitz said. “We’re getting younger. We’re getting more diverse. Women are watching. And that’s where it’s important because that opens up eyeballs and doorways and pathways to new sales opportunities which benefits everybody in this world.”
Aronowitz said the scale of this broadcast will have the kind of “firepower” that the College Football Playoff had. The Valley hosted a national semifinal between Miami and Mississippi in the 2026 Fiesta Bowl.
This dedication of top-tier equipment, air time and on-air talent from ESPN should only help the sport of women’s basketball grow even further in popularity.