WCWS finals schedule, bracket: It's Texas vs Texas Tech for softball championship

For the first time since the Women's College World Series adopted the best-of-three championship series over two decades ago, the finals will feature the same matchup as the previous season, as No. 2 Texas and No. 11 Texas Tech face off against each other for the second year in a row.

But college softball fans will have to wait at least 24 hours to see the Lone Star State showdown, as the WCWS has a rare off day in its schedule between games.

Game 1 of the WCWS finals is set for 8 p.m. ET, Wednesday, June 3 at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, where the starting pitching matchup is expected to be Texas' Teagan Kavan vs. Texas Tech's NiJaree Canady.

The Longhorns and Red Raiders punched their tickets back to the finals by going the long way: Making their way out of the elimination bracket, forcing the if-necessary game of the WCWS semifinals and then sweeping the winner's bracket representative.

For Texas, that included a sweep of its SEC foe, No. 7 Tennessee. The Longhorns outscored the Lady Vols 9-2 in their two games on Monday, which featured a two-RBI single from Hannah Wells and solo home runs from Reese Atwood and Katie Stewart in Game 1. Coach Mike White also got some stellar pitching from his two top pitchers in Citlaly Gutierrez and Kavan, with Kavan striking out 10 hitters in a complete game shutout in Game 2.

For Texas Tech, that included a sweep of top-ranked Alabama. The Red Raiders walked off the Crimson Tide in the bottom of the seventh inning on a solo home run from Mia Williams to force Game 2, which saw Canady dominate and retire one Alabama hitter after another. Canady threw a complete-game shutout against Alabama in Game 2, which broke off from Gerry Glasco's pitching strategy by switching back and forth between Canady and Kaitlyn Terry based on the pitcher-hitting matchups.

That all said, will Texas become the first back-to-back WCWS champion since Oklahoma won four consecutive titles from 2021 to 2024? Or will Texas Tech complete its redemption tour — while getting rewarded for going all in on the transfer portal last offseason — and win its first national title in program history? All will be answered shortly.

Here's what to know on the WCWS schedule, and more:

WCWS finals schedule 2026

Like the super regional round of the NCAA Softball Tournament, the WCWS championship series is a best-of-three series, meaning a team needs to win two games to be crowned the national champion. The 2026 WCWS Finals begin at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, June 3.

Here's a full look at the best-of-three WCWS championship series:

Wednesday, June 3

• WCWS finals Game 1: No. 2 Texas vs. No. 11 Texas Tech | 8 p.m. ET | ESPN (Fubo)

Thursday, June 4

• WCWS finals Game 2: No. 2 Texas vs. No. 11 Texas Tech | 8 p.m. ET | ESPN (Fubo)

Friday, June 5

• WCWS finals Game 3 (if necessary): No. 2 Texas vs. No. 11 Texas Tech | 8 p.m. ET | ESPN (Fubo)

WCWS bracket 2026

Here's a look at how the WCWS bracket has played out:

Thursday, May 28

• (11) Texas Tech 8, Mississippi State 0 (5 innings) (RECAP)
• (7) Tennessee 6, (2) Texas 3 (RECAP)
• (1) Alabama 6, (8) UCLA 3 (RECAP)
• (4) Nebraska 5, (5) Arkansas 3 (10 innings) (RECAP)

Friday, May 29

• Game 5: (2) Texas 4, Mississippi State 0 (RECAP)
• Game 6: (8) UCLA 11, (5) Arkansas 0 (RECAP)

Saturday, May 30

• Game 7: (7) Tennessee 2, (11) Texas Tech 1 (9 innings) (RECAP)
• Game 8: (1) Alabama 5, (4) Nebraska 1 (RECAP)

Sunday, May 31

• Game 9: (2) Texas 3, (4) Nebraska 1 (Nebraska eliminated) (RECAP)
• Game 10: (11) Texas Tech 8, (8) UCLA 7 (9 innings) (UCLA eliminated) (RECAP)

Monday, June 1

• (2) Texas 5, (7) Tennessee 2
• (2) Texas 4, (7) Tennessee 0 (Tennessee eliminated) (RECAP)
• (11) Texas Tech 5, (1) Alabama 4
• (11) Texas Tech 2, (1) Alabama 0 (Alabama eliminated) (RECAP)

Wednesday, June 3

• WCWS finals Game 1: No. 2 Texas vs. No. 11 Texas Tech | 8 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)

Thursday, June 4

• WCWS finals Game 2: No. 2 Texas vs. No. 11 Texas Tech | 8 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)

Friday, June 5

• WCWS finals Game 3 (if necessary): No. 2 Texas vs. No. 11 Texas Tech | 8 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)

How to watch WCWS finals: TV channel, streaming options

• TV channel: ESPN
• Streaming options: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)

ESPN will broadcast each game of the best-of-three WCWS finals series between Texas and Texas Tech. Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app (with a TV login) and Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to new subscribers.