Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio, Indianapolis Announced as Final Four Host Sites

Rob Goldberg @TheRobGoldbergFeatured ColumnistJuly 16, 2018

SAN ANTONIO, TX - APRIL 02: The Villanova Wildcats celebrate after defeating the Michigan Wolverines during the 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship game at the Alamodome on April 2, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. Villanova defeated Michigan 79-62. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

The NCAA announced four new host sites for upcoming Final Fours Monday, all of which are proven sites for the college basketball semifinals and finals:

NCAA Final Four @FinalFour
The 2023 #FinalFour will be played in Houston! 🏟: NRG Stadium Final Four History (3): 1971, 2011, 2016 Hosts: @UHCougars, @RiceAthletics, @HBUHuskies & @TXSOTigers https://t.co/Ma0pUGs6Y8

NCAA Final Four @FinalFour
The 2024 #FinalFour will be played in Phoenix! 🏟: University of Phoenix Stadium Final Four History (1): 2017 Host: @TheSunDevils https://t.co/g8zrJz9gNi

NCAA Final Four @FinalFour
The 2025 #FinalFour will be played in San Antonio! 🏟: Alamodome Final Four History (4): 1998, 2004, 2008, 2018 Hosts: @UTSAAthletics & @uiwathletics https://t.co/VErjgtSr9l

NCAA Final Four @FinalFour
The 2026 #FinalFour will be played in Indianapolis! 🏟: Lucas Oil Stadium Final Four History (7): 1980, 1991, 1997, 2000, 2006, 2010, 2015 Hosts: @HorizonLeague & @IUPUIJaguars https://t.co/AqtjWfdrA8

Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis has already played host to the Final Four twice, and it's set to host the 2021 event as well. The 2026 Final Four will be Indianapolis' ninth all time.

The other three championships will be at NRG Stadium in Houston (2023), University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (2024), and the Alamodome in San Antonio (2025).

The next four sites had already been announced, beginning with Minneapolis in 2019, Atlanta in 2020, Indianapolis in 2021 and New Orleans in 2022.

Gary Parrish of CBS Sports provided his thoughts on the locations:

Gary Parrish @GaryParrishCBS
Here’s what makes a great Final Four city: A dome within walking distance of lots of great hotels and restaurants/bars. That’s why San Antonio, New Orleans and Indianapolis work well — and why Houston and Dallas do not.

San Antonio hosted the most recent Final Four, which saw Villanova win its second title in the last three years. With the Final Four returning to San Antonio in 2025 and going to Houston in 2023, Texas will have hosted eight championships since 2004.

✨ Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content

Meanwhile, Phoenix will try to expand on a rare trend after playing host to North Carolina's title run in 2017. That was the first time the Final Four had been hosted west of Texas since 1995.

Los Angeles was a finalist for a hosting spot in this period, along with Detroit and North Texas.