The 2021 NCAA Women’s Division I soccer tournament bracket is set and the field of 64 teams will be whittled down to two finalists ahead of the Dec. 5 title match. A tournament committee formulated a final bracket consisting of 31 Division I conference champions, which all claimed automatic bids, along with another 33 at-large selections (watch the selection show here). Criteria for selection are outlined in the official guidelines.
Unlike the NCAA basketball tournament which attaches a seed to every team, only four teams in each quadrant of the bracket were assigned a seed:
- No. 1 seeds: Florida State, Duke, Rutgers, Virginia
- No. 2 seeds: Michigan, UCLA, Arkansas, North Carolina
- No. 3 seeds: Tennessee, Georgetown, Notre Dame, USC
- No. 4 seeds: Pepperdine, Auburn, TCU, BYU
The marquee match of the first round will see a battle of the last two NCAA champions in NoCal where Santa Clara hosts Stanford. Neither team was seeded, and the geographic considerations come into play during the early rounds, leading to that heavyweight pairing.
DOWNLOAD: PDF of women’s tournament bracket
Defending champ Santa Clara will be motivated by the fact that it will also be hosting the semifinals and final of the tournament, known as “College Cup.” The 2021 champion will be crowned only a few months after the Broncos won the 2020 edition given that event was pushed into 2021 (May) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Florida State lost that final to Santa Clara on penalty kicks, and will be eager to finish the job this time.
Among the other top-seeded contenders, Rutgers is coming off a strong season despite losing the Big Ten championship game to Michigan, and Duke and Virginia will hope this is the year they win a title after previous failed trips to the final. A surprise run could come from the likes of a BYU, the top-scoring team in the nation.
- First Round: Nov. 12-14
- Second Round: Nov. 19
- Round of 16: Nov. 21
- Quarterfinals: Nov. 26-28
- Semifinals: Dec. 3
- Final: Dec. 5
If matches are tied after 90 minutes, two 10-minute periods of sudden-death overtime are played. If the match is still deadlocked, a penalty-kick shootout will decide the winner.
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Home teams are listed first in the schedule below. Per NCAA rules, seeded teams will host through the quarterfinals unless the school did not submit a bid to host, or its facilities do not meet requirements. At that point, the committee will decide on the host. If two seeded teams face off, the higher seed hosts.
First Round (Round of 64)
| Date | Matches | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Fri, Nov. 12 | Clemson 0, Alabama 1 | Recap | Highlights | |
| Fri, Nov. 12 | 3-Tennessee 3, Lipscomb 0 | Recap | Highlights | |
| Fri, Nov. 12 | Princeton 2, Vermont 0 | Recap | Highlights | |
| Fri, Nov. 12 | 1-Florida State 3, South Alabama 0 | Recap | Highlights | |
| Fri, Nov. 12 | 1-Duke 1, Old Dominion 0 | Recap | Highlights | |
| Fri, Nov. 12 | 4-Auburn 0, Samford 2 | Recap | ||
| Fri, Nov. 12 | Penn State 3, Monmouth 1 | Recap | ||
| Fri, Nov. 12 | Virginia Tech 3, Ohio State 1 | Recap | ||
| Fri, Nov. 12 | 1-Virginia 6, High Point 0 | Recap | ||
| Fri, Nov. 12 | 2-Michigan 3, Bowling Green 0 | Recap | Highlights | |
| Fri, Nov. 12 | Wisconsin 2, Butler 1 | Recap | ||
| Fri, Nov. 12 | 2-Arkansas 5, Northwestern State 1 | Recap | Highlights | |
| Fri, Nov. 12 | 4-TCU 8, Prairie View A&M 0 | Recap | Highlights | |
| Fri, Nov. 12 | Ole Miss 1, St. Louis 2 | Recap | Highlights | |
| Fri, Nov. 12 | 2-UCLA 0. UC-Irvine 1 | Recap | Highlights | |
| Sat, Nov. 13 | 3-Georgetown vs. Central Conn. St. | 12 p.m. | — | ESPN+ |
| Sat, Nov. 13 | Brown vs. St. John’s (NY) | 1 p.m. | — | ESPN+ |
| Sat, Nov. 13 | Hofstra vs. Providence | 1 p.m. | — | Stretch Live |
| Sat, Nov. 13 | 2-North Carolina vs. South Carolina | 2 p.m. | ACC Network Plus | ESPN app, WatchESPN.com |
| Sat, Nov. 13 | 4-Pepperdine vs. South Dakota State | 3 p.m. | WCC Network | WCC Live Stream |
| Sat, Nov. 13 | 1-Rutgers vs. Bucknell | 4 p.m. | Big Ten Plus | BigTenPlus.com |
| Sat, Nov. 13 | 3-USC vs. Grand Canyon | 4 p.m. | — | Pac-12 Insider, USCTrojans.com |
| Sat, Nov. 13 | Xavier vs. Milwaukee | 4 p.m. | — | ESPN+ |
| Sat, Nov. 13 | Santa Clara vs. Stanford | 4 p.m. | WCC Network | WCC Live Stream |
| Sat, Nov. 13 | Purdue vs. Loyola Chicago | 7 p.m. | Big Ten Plus | BigTenPlus.com |
| Sat, Nov. 13 | 4-BYU vs. New Mexico | 7 p.m. | BYUtv | BYUtv stream |
| Sat, Nov. 13 | Washington State vs. Montana | 8 p.m. | — | ESPN+ |
| Sun, Nov. 14 | South Florida vs. NC State | 1 p.m. | — | ESPN+ |
| Sun, Nov. 14 | Wake Forest vs. Harvard | 1 p.m. | ACC Network Plus | ESPN app, WatchESPN.com |
| Sun, Nov. 14 | 3-Notre Dame vs. SIUE | 1 p.m. | ACC Network Plus | ESPN app, WatchESPN.com |
| Sun, Nov. 14 | SMU vs. Texas | 2 p.m. | — | ESPN+ |
| Sun, Nov. 14 | Memphis vs. LSU | 2 p.m. | — | ESPN+ |
Second Round (Round of 32)
| Date | Matches | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Nov. 19 | 1-Florida State vs. SMU / Texas | |||
| Nov. 19 | S. Florida / NC State vs. 4-Pepperdine / S. Dakota St. | |||
| Nov. 19 | 3-Tennessee vs. Wash. State / Montana | |||
| Nov. 19 | Wake Forest / Harvard vs. 2-Michigan | |||
| Nov. 19 | 1-Duke vs. Memphis / LSU | |||
| Nov. 19 | Brown / St. John’s vs. Samford (in Durham, N.C.) | |||
| Nov. 19 | 3-Georgetown / CCSU vs. Santa Clara / Stanford | |||
| Nov. 19 | Wisconsin vs. UC-Irvine | |||
| Nov. 19 | 2-Arkansas vs. Virginia Tech | |||
| Nov. 19 | Purdue / Loyola Chicago vs. 3-Notre Dame / SIUE | |||
| Nov. 19 | 4-TCU vs. Princeton | |||
| Nov. 19 | 1-Rutgers / Bucknell vs. St. Louis | |||
| Nov. 19 | 2-N. Carolina / S. Carolina vs. Hofstra / Providence | |||
| Nov. 19 | Penn State vs. 3-USC / Grand Canyon | |||
| Nov. 19 | 4-BYU / New Mexico vs. Alabama | |||
| Nov. 19 | 1-Virginia vs. Xavier / Milwaukee |
Third Round (Round of 16)
| Date | Matches | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Nov. 21 | TBD vs. TBD | |||
| Nov. 21 | TBD vs. TBD | |||
| Nov. 21 | TBD vs. TBD | |||
| Nov. 21 | TBD vs. TBD | |||
| Nov. 21 | TBD vs. TBD | |||
| Nov. 21 | TBD vs. TBD | |||
| Nov. 21 | TBD vs. TBD | |||
| Nov. 21 | TBD vs. TBD |
Quarterfinals
| Date | Matches | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Nov. 26-28 | TBD vs. TBD | |||
| Nov. 26-28 | TBD vs. TBD | |||
| Nov. 26-28 | TBD vs. TBD | |||
| Nov. 26-28 | TBD vs. TBD |
Semifinals
| Date | Matches | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Fri, Dec. 3 | TBD vs. TBD | |||
| Fri, Dec. 3 | TBD vs. TBD |
Final
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Sun, Dec. 5 | TBD vs. TBD |
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NCAA Division 1 women’s soccer tournament teams
| Team | W-L-D | RPI | Coaches’ Poll | Conference | How Qualified | NCAA Apps. |
| Alabama | 10-9-1 | 49 | Unranked | SEC | At-Large | 4 |
| Arkansas | 16-4-0 | 4 | 5 | SEC | At-Large | 8 |
| Auburn | 12-6-1 | 17 | Received Votes | SEC | At-Large | 17 |
| Bowling Green | 11-6-3 | 65 | Unranked | MAC | Conf. Champ | 6 |
| Brown | 12-3-0 | 21 | 22 | Ivy League | Conf. Champ | 8 |
| Bucknell | 11-7-3 | 113 | Unranked | Patriot League | Conf. Champ | 5 |
| Butler | 15-4-1 | 34 | Unranked | Big East | At-Large | 3 |
| BYU | 13-4-1 | 26 | 12 | WCC | Conf. Champ | 22 |
| Central Conn. St. | 13-5-0 | 100 | Unranked | Northeast Conf. | Conf. Champ | 12 |
| Clemson | 12-6-1 | 42 | 24 | ACC | At-Large | 22 |
| Duke | 13-3-1 | 2 | 6 | ACC | At-Large | 27 |
| Florida State | 16-1-2 | 1 | 2 | ACC | Conf. Champ | 22 |
| Georgetown | 13-1-6 | 10 | Received Votes | Big East | Conf. Champ | 12 |
| Grand Canyon | 16-3-2 | 37 | Received Votes | WAC | Conf. Champ | 1 |
| Harvard | 12-2-1 | 12 | Received Votes | Ivy League | At-Large | 17 |
| High Point | 10-7-2 | 130 | Unranked | Big South | Conf. Champ | 7 |
| Hofstra | 16-3-1 | 24 | Received Votes | CAA | Conf. Champ | 9 |
| Lipscomb | 15-4-1 | 82 | Unranked | ASUN | Conf. Champ | 3 |
| Loyola Chicago | 13-2-2 | 45 | Unranked | Missouri Valley | Conf. Champ | 7 |
| LSU | 11-7-1 | 47 | Unranked | SEC | At-Large | 7 |
| Memphis | 13-4-2 | 30 | Received Votes | AAC | Conf. Champ | 10 |
| Michigan | 15-3-3 | 5 | 13 | Big Ten | Conf. Champ | 15 |
| Milwaukee | 18-1-0 | 48 | Unranked | Horizon League | Conf. Champ | 15 |
| Monmouth | 15-4-1 | 43 | Unranked | MAAC | Conf. Champ | 8 |
| Montana | 13-5-1 | 137 | Unranked | Big Sky | Conf. Champ | 6 |
| New Mexico | 14-4-2 | 57 | Unranked | Mountain West | Conf. Champ | 4 |
| North Carolina | 12-2-3 | 7 | 7 | ACC | At-Large | 40 |
| NC State | 8-8-2 | 38 | Unranked | ACC | At-Large | 16 |
| Northwestern St. | 12-5-2 | 153 | Unranked | Southland | Conf. Champ | 4 |
| Notre Dame | 13-5-1 | 16 | Received Votes | ACC | At-Large | 27 |
| Ohio State | 9-8-2 | 39 | Unranked | Big Ten | At-Large | 15 |
| Old Dominion | 13-4-1 | 53 | Unranked | Conf. USA | Conf. Champ | 1 |
| Ole Miss | 12-5-3 | 23 | 21 | SEC | At-Large | 10 |
| Penn State | 11-7-0 | 20 | Received Votes | Big Ten | At-Large | 27 |
| Pepperdine | 15-3-1 | 18 | 16 | WCC | At-Large | 12 |
| Prairie View A&M | 12-3-3 | 181 | Unranked | SWAC | Conf. Champ | 3 |
| Princeton | 14-2-1 | 14 | Received Votes | Ivy League | At-Large | 14 |
| Providence | 10-6-3 | 36 | Unranked | Big East | At-Large | 2 |
| Purdue | 14-4-2 | 19 | 19 | Big Ten | At-Large | 7 |
| Rutgers | 17-3-0 | 3 | 4 | Big Ten | At-Large | 16 |
| St. John’s | 12-6-2 | 46 | Unranked | Big East | At-Large | 4 |
| Saint Louis | 12-8-1 | 107 | Unranked | Atlantic 10 | Conf. Champ | 6 |
| Samford | 15-3-2 | 33 | Unranked | Southern Conf. | Conf. Champ | 6 |
| Santa Clara | 11-5-2 | 32 | 15 | WCC | At-Large | 31 |
| SIUE | 11-6-0 | 145 | Unranked | Ohio Valley | Conf. Champ | 4 |
| SMU | 11-4-2 | 25 | 17 | AAC | At-Large | 14 |
| South Alabama | 12-4-3 | 74 | Unranked | Sun Belt | Conf. Champ | 9 |
| South Carolina | 11-6-1 | 40 | Received Votes | SEC | At-Large | 15 |
| S. Dakota State | 17-3-1 | 115 | Unranked | Summit League | Conf. Champ | 6 |
| South Florida | 12-3-3 | 22 | 23 | AAC | At-Large | 8 |
| Stanford | 13-5-1 | 31 | 14 | Pac-12 | At-Large | 30 |
| Tennessee | 18-2-0 | 8 | 10 | SEC | Conf. Champ | 13 |
| TCU | 17-2-2 | 9 | 9 | Big 12 | Conf. Champ | 6 |
| Texas | 11-4-6 | 35 | 20 | Big 12 | At-Large | 15 |
| UCLA | 16-0-3 | 13 | 3 | Pac-12 | Conf. Champ | 25 |
| UC-Irvine | 15-5-0 | 110 | Unranked | Big West | Conf. Champ | 3 |
| USC | 13-3-2 | 15 | 8 | Pac-12 | At-Large | 20 |
| Vermont | 12-5-1 | 123 | Unranked | America East | Conf. Champ | 2 |
| Virginia | 16-2-2 | 6 | 1 | ACC | At-Large | 34 |
| Virginia Tech | 11-5-2 | 29 | Received Votes | ACC | At-Large | 12 |
| Wake Forest | 15-5-0 | 27 | 25 | ACC | At-Large | 21 |
| Washington State | 13-2-4 | 28 | 18 | Pac-12 | At-Large | 14 |
| Wisconsin | 8-5-6 | 41 | Unranked | Big Ten | At-Large | 23 |
| Xavier | 16-2-1 | 11 | 11 | Big East | At-Large | 4 |
NCAA Division I women’s tournament teams by conference
| Conference | Total | Conf. Champion (Automatic Bid) |
At-Large Bids |
| ACC | 9 | Florida State | Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest |
| SEC | 7 | Tennessee | Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina |
| Big Ten | 6 | Michigan | Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin |
| Big East | 5 | Georgetown | Butler, Providence, St. John’s, Xavier |
| Pac-12 | 4 | UCLA | Stanford, USC, Washington St. |
| AAC | 3 | Memphis | SMU, South Florida |
| Ivy League | 3 | Brown | Harvard, Princeton |
| WCC | 3 | BYU | Pepperdine, Santa Clara |
| Big 12 | 2 | TCU | Texas |
| America East | 1 | Vermont | — |
| ASUN | 1 | Lipscomb | — |
| Atlantic 10 | 1 | Saint Louis | — |
| Big Sky | 1 | Montana | — |
| Big South | 1 | High Point | — |
| Big West | 1 | UC-Irvine | — |
| CAA | 1 | Hofstra | — |
| Conference USA | 1 | Old Dominion | — |
| Horizon League | 1 | Milwaukee | — |
| MAAC | 1 | Monmouth | — |
| MAC | 1 | Bowling Green | — |
| Missouri Valley | 1 | Loyola Chicago | — |
| Mountain West | 1 | New Mexico | — |
| Northeast Conf. | 1 | Central. Conn. St. | — |
| Ohio Valley | 1 | SIUE | — |
| Patriot League | 1 | Bucknell | — |
| Southern Conf. | 1 | Samford | — |
| Southland | 1 | Northwestern St. | — |
| Summit League | 1 | South Dakota St. | — |
| Sun Belt | 1 | South Alabama | — |
| SWAC | 1 | Prairie View A&M | — |
| WAC | 1 | Grand Canyon | — |
