2026 U Sports Women's Basketball Championship
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Quebec City, Quebec
 2026 Final 8 Championship Logo
Championship All-Star Team | |
| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Eight |
| Finals site | Amphithéâtre Desjardins Quebec City, Quebec |
| Champions | Saskatchewan Huskies (4th title) |
| Runner-up | UNB Reds |
| Winning coach | Lisa Thomaidis (4th title) |
| Championship MVP | Ella Murphy Wiebe (Saskatchewan Huskies) |
| Television | CBC Sports / CBC Gem |
The 2026 U Sports Women's Final 8 Basketball Tournament was held March 4–8, 2026, in Quebec City, Quebec, to determine a national champion for the 2025–26 U Sports women's basketball season.[1][2]
The Saskatchewan Huskies defeated the AUS Champion UNB Reds to win the program's fourth national championship.[3] The Huskies entered the season as defending champions and proceeded to go undefeated through the 20-game regular season.[4] Their program-record 51-game winning streak - the longest in U Sports women's basketball since Simon Fraser's 54-game run in 2010 - was finally snapped by the Calgary Dinos in a 61-58 upset during the Canada West semifinals.[5][6]
Despite the loss, the Huskies' body of work earned them the at-large wildcard berth, entering the national tournament as the fifth seed.[7] By securing the Bronze Baby, the Huskies became the first team to repeat as national champions since the Carleton Ravens (2023–24), finishing the year with a near-perfect overall record of 30-1.[8]
The tournament was hosted by Université Laval at the school's Amphithéâtre Desjardins, located within the Pavillon de l'éducation physique et des sports (PEPS) complex.[9] This marked a record-setting fifth time that Laval has hosted the women's national championship, following previous tournaments in 1987, 1991, 1996, and 2015.[10]
The Amphithéâtre Desjardins serves as the primary home for the Laval Rouge et Or basketball and volleyball programs. For the 2026 Final 8, the venue featured a seating capacity of approximately 3,000, utilizing 1,884 permanent seats and 1,208 removable courtside bleachers to create an "amphitheater" atmosphere.[11]
Participating teams
The seeding for teams was announced on March 1, 2026, with the defending champion Saskatchewan Huskies being awarded the at-large berth.[12]
| Seed | Team | Qualified | Record | Last | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto Metropolitan Bold | OUA Champion | 20–2 | 2022 | 1 |
| 2 | UNB Reds | AUS Champion | 18–2 | None | 0 |
| 3 | Calgary Dinos | Canada West Champion | 16–4 | 1989 | 1 |
| 4 | UBC Thunderbirds | Canada West Finalist | 16–4 | 2008 | 6 |
| 5 | Saskatchewan Huskies | Canada West Semifinalist (At-large) | 20–0 | 2025 | 3 |
| 6 | McGill Martlets | RSEQ Champion | 11–5 | 2017 | 1 |
| 7 | Carleton Ravens | OUA Finalist | 16–6 | 2024 | 3 |
| 8 | Laval Rouge et Or | RSEQ Finalist (Host) | 13–3 | None | 0 |