Iowa to host inaugural NCAA Women's Wrestling Championships

There is no place more passionate about the sport of wrestling than the state of Iowa.

And so, it’s fitting that the state – and its flagship wrestling institution – will serve as host of the inaugural NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships in March of 2026.

The site is Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa, right in the heart of Wrestletown, USA. There, athletes from around the country will gather to compete for the first-ever NCAA-sponsored team/individual title(s) in the sport’s history.

News of the development first broke this afternoon thanks to a report from FloWrestling. This, even though the NCAA Division I Sports Oversight Committee meeting during which the Championship format/location were approved took place six whole days ago…

(You can read the full meeting report HERE.)

But hey, even on this momentous occasion I suppose it’s worth remembering we’re still dealing with the NCAA, right?

Thankfully, whether the organization ever gets around to officially announcing the news itself, we’ve got you covered here at Hawkeye Report with all you need to know – including some significant changes in format from what teams/fans experienced a few months ago at the final National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships (NCWWCs), also held at Xtream Arena.

So, let’s get to it.

Major changes

The biggest difference fans will notice at this season’s NCAA-helmed championship event is the size of the field.

Last March, 320 athletes (32 per weight class) competed at NCWWCs – a record number which usurped the previously established all-time figure of 240 set the year prior.

Now, only 180 wrestlers will qualify for the national tournament (18 per weight class) – another 30 fewer than the total (210) officially recommended by the NCAA Women’s Wrestling Committee three months ago.

Alas, the athletes/coaches/teams will certainly make the best of this new (if reduced) opportunity, and so the rest of us shall as well.

The 180 qualifiers will be determined via six regional qualifying events – down from eight in 2025. There, presumably the top three finishers in each weight class will punch their ticket to Coralville for the NCAA Championships.

***The oversight committee notes did not specifically mention three regional qualifiers per weight class.***

Also new for the 2026 (NCAA) postseason, schools will only be allowed 10 entries per team (one per weight class). Previously, teams could send up to 15 athletes to regionals (no more than two per weight) with all 15 eligible to qualify for/compete at the national tournament.

That’ll create some awfully difficult decisions for programs like Iowa – which will quite conceivably be forced to leave some championship-caliber athletes at home in its bid for a third-consecutive national team title.

The silver lining is that – disappointed though they may be – they won’t have to travel far to support whichever of their teammates do compete at the inaugural NCAA Championships.

Home sweet home

I mentioned in the intro that Xtream Arena in Coralville will serve as host site of this historic event for women’s wrestling. It’ll do so under the stewardship of the University of Iowa and the Iowa City Area Sports Commission – which were approved as co-hosts of the 2026 NCAA Championships.

Not only did the Hawkeyes compete at Xtream Arena for NCWWCs this past March, but they’ve also done so on three other occasions at the annual Soldier Salute tournament held each December.

Because of the success of events like those, various high-profile domestic freestyle tournaments, as well as sprawling high school competitions such as the Iowa Girls State Wrestling Tournament, Boys State Duals, and more, it made perfect sense for this place in this state to help take the latest step in women’s wrestling history.

As for the event itself, its timing should also be familiar to attendees of NCWWCs last March.

Per the NCAA Sports Oversight Committee (SOC), NCAAs will take place on the “first full weekend in March (Thursday-Saturday), with the championship taking place on that Friday/Saturday.”

This will occur two weekends after the six aforementioned regional qualifiers – which will remain single-day events just as they’ve been in years past.

Short time

Look, there are legitimate gripes to be had both with how the NCAA has elected to construct its inaugural championship format for women’s wrestling as well as the organization’s overall lack of promotion/transparency of this monumental event.

(If you couldn’t tell, I happen to personally harbor many of those gripes myself.)

But it’s also true – and arguably much more important – that the sport is still taking a huge leap forward thanks to the affirmation of the NCAA and all that its brand lends to a collegiate championship event.

While these women will still be competing against the same schools/opponents (from NCAA Divisions I, II and III) as they have in previous years, they’ll now do so with the title of ‘NCAA Champion’ on the line.

That’s a distinction that holds extra weight when it comes to more casual fans, as well as the general public. And any extra recognition/validation that women’s wrestling can get – whether it ‘needs’ it or not – is both much deserved and a long time coming.