Big 12 Extends Basketball Tournament Stay in Kansas City, Brings Soccer Tournament to KC

The Big 12 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will remain at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City through 2031 while also moving the conference soccer championship to the new CPKC Stadium in Kansas City for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

The basketball announcement was made by Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark on Tuesday night before Texas and Iowa State played for the women’s title in T-Mobile Center for the first time. The women’s tournament had long been played at Municipal Auditorium, which was one of the homes of early NCAA championship games but has grown antiquated over time.

“It feels like a Super Bowl each time we’re here,” Yormark said. “The fan support is tremendous. The community is tremendous.”

Moving the women’s tournament to the T-Mobile Center also required moving the dates of the championship, with early-round games occurring last week and the title game Tuesday night following the first two games of the men’s tournament.

The men’s and women’s tournaments were scheduled to be played in Kansas City through 2027, so the extension amounts to four years. But it also comes as the league expands its footprint west with Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah replacing Oklahoma and Texas in the league.

“We are a national conference now. We’re in 10 states, four time zones,” Yormark said. “When it comes to men’s and women’s basketball, and women’s soccer, this needed to be our home. We’re going to football media day in Vegas, which we are excited about, and there will be other opportunities to move closer to that footprint, but we needed to be in Kansas City.”

Along with the basketball tournaments, Yormark announced that the Big 12 women’s soccer championship was moving to CPKC Stadium. The new home of the Kansas City Current of the National Women’s Soccer League is scheduled to open Saturday when the Current plays Portland.

“It’s an amazing time to be in Kansas City, and it’s an amazing time to invest in Kansas City,” said Mayor Quinton Lucas. “The Big 12 Conference is part of Kansas City’s DNA. We all have stories about the Big 12, or if we’re old enough, the Big Eight here in Kansas City. We’re excited to continue to share the story in Kansas City.”

Kansas City hosted the soccer championship from 2013-2019, while overall the postseason event has been held in the state of Missouri eight times since the Conference’s first soccer season in 1996.

“The Kansas City Current is showing people around the world what happens when you invest in women’s sports and Kansas City,” said Kathy Nelson, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Kansas City Sports Commission and Visit KC. “Over the years, we’ve demonstrated how Kansas City rallies around basketball for the Big 12 Conference, and I know our fans are going to show up for soccer in an impressive way this fall.”

Expanding to 16 teams for the 2024 season, the top 12 squads will advance to the championship following the conclusion of Big 12 play with the top four seeds receiving a bye into the quarterfinals. The tournament for the past three years was at the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex in Texas.

“This is just the beginning of our vision for CPKC Stadium and the possibilities for events we can host here in Kansas City,” said KC Current President Raven Jemison. “It’s only fitting that one of the first major events outside of KC Current regular season matches at CPKC Stadium is the Big 12 women’s soccer championship. As we empower the next generation of soccer talent, we can’t wait for them to experience our elevated purpose-built facilities.”

The Big 12 has made a series of long-term scheduling commitments for multiple conference championships over the past year. The wrestling championship will remain at Tulsa’s BOK Center through 2028. The league also extended its agreement to host its football championship game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, through 2030.