The 2026 NCAA Division I Softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 2026. The season will progress through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and will conclude with the 2026 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2026 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held annually in Oklahoma City at Devon Park, will end in June 2026.
One school transitioned from NCAA Division II to Division I after the 2025 season.
A total of five softball-sponsoring schools changed conferences after the 2025 season.
One school dropped its program.
The 2026 season is the last for 21 schools in their current softball conferences. This does not include the three softball-sponsoring schools of the Western Athletic Conference that will remain members when that conference rebrands as the United Athletic Conference in July 2026.
Of the 31 Division I athletic conferences that sponsor softball, 27 end their regular seasons with a single-elimination tournament or a double elimination tournament. The teams in each conference that win their regular season title are given the number one seed in each tournament. Four conferences, the Big West, Mountain West, Pac-12, and West Coast Conference do not hold a conference tournament. The winners of these tournaments, plus the Big West, Mountain West, Pac-12, and West Coast Conference regular-season champions, receive automatic invitations to the 2026 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament.