Northwestern to Host 2026 NCAA Division I Women's Championship

History will be made in 2026.

The NCAA awarded the 2026 Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship to Evanston, Ill., and Northwestern on Thursday, marking the first time the Midwest will play host to the final weekend of the Division I season.

It is the furthest west the championship has ever traveled.

Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium will be the site for the semifinals on May 22, 2026, and the championship on May 24, 2026. Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., was initially scheduled to host the 2026 championship, but a successful bid to bring the FIFA Men's World Cup to the United States in 2026 forced NCAA to consider other sites.

Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium was developed as an innovative solution to keep Northwestern football in Evanston as a bridge from its previous stadium to the state-of-the-art $850 million New Ryan Field, scheduled to open in late 2026.

Located along the shores of Lake Michigan with views of downtown Chicago, the temporary stadium also serves as a home to both the women’s and men’s soccer teams, and is adjacent to Lakeside Stadium, home of Northwestern’s national champion field hockey program.