The entire NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament is being held in the San Antonio area

The women’s NCAA basketball tournament will be held on six courts at five locations in the San Antonio region from March 21 to April 4, it was announced Friday. The Alamodome hosts the Final Four Women’s, Elite Eight and Sweet 16. All 63 matches of the 64-team event are broadcast by the ESPN family of networks and available on the ESPN app. No decision has yet been made on the attendance of supporters.

The first round will be in three cities: San Antonio; Austin, Texas; in San Marcos, Texas. All subsequent games will be in San Antonio.

The Alamodome was previously scheduled for the final four host for 2021 for women, but with the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire event was moved to the area for safety reasons. COVID-19 tests will take place throughout the course of the event, and the NCAA will work with the San Antonio Metro Health Division on approved medical protocols.

“Like the 2020-21 season, we know the championship will have its challenges, but we feel we have the necessary structure and precautions to ensure a quality student-athletic championship experience,” said Nina King, chair of the Division Basketball Committee for Division I, said a statement. “We are confident that one geographic region will allow us to focus on the potential benefits of implementing certain security measures in a controlled environment with competition and training facilities, medical resources and accommodation for teams and officials who are all nearby.”

The first round is March 21-22. The games in San Antonio are being held at the Alamodome (with two courts), Bill Greehey Arena at the St. Mary’s University and UTSA Convocation Center. Games in Austin will be held at the Frank Erwin Center of the University of Texas, and games in San Marcos will be held at the Strahan Arena of the Texas State.

In the second round, March 23-24, all matches will be held at the three San Antonio venues. After that, all matches will be at the Alamodome. The local semi-finals will be held on 27 to 28 March, the regional final on 29 to 30 March and the Final Four on 2 and 4 April. The Alamodome will be restored for just one lane for the Final Four.

The NCAA Tournament Field will be announced on Selection Monday, March 15 (ESPN / ESPN App, 7:00 PM ET). Team travel will have a maximum of 34 people, and each team will be housed in hotels in Bexar County, San Antonio along with other individuals tested by Tier 1.

Exercises for all teams will be held in San Antonio at the Alamodome’s two courts and the Henry B. Gonzalez Conference Center, which can hold nine courts. San Antonio hosted the Final Four for women earlier in 2002 and 2010.

“We appreciate the historical importance of moving the entire championship to one region and would like to acknowledge the work done by the Women’s Basketball Committee and staff, our hosts, local organizers and ESPN who allow us to make plans for a successful 2021 Championship,” Lynn Holzman, NCAA vice president of women’s basketball, said in a statement. “We are fortunate to work with San Antonio, which has one of the most experienced local organizing committees in the country.”