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Little League Softball World Series: Key dates, regional tournaments
Little League Softball World Series: Key dates, regional tournaments
Sherlon Christie, USA TODAYMon, June 1, 2026 at 10:02 AM UTC·3 min readThe 2026 Little League Softball World Series will take over ESPN’s linear platforms for the first time ever, Little League International announced earlier this year.
This year’s expanded media coverage follows a record-setting year for the 2025 LLSWS championship game, which had “average viewership of 1.44 million (up 139% from the previous year), Little League International said in a statement.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhile the teams for this year’s LLSWS are still to be determined, the dates, August 2-9, and the location, Stallings Stadium at Elm Street Park, Greenville, N.C., are set as the qualification period will begin soon.
Overall, 12 teams (eight from the United States, four from international squads) will earn their way into the LLSWS bracket via a berth from corresponding regional tournaments.
Here are the key dates for those 12 regional tournaments as the countdown to the LLSWS begins.
2026 Little League Softball United States Regional Tournaments
Central Region: July 17-22. States involved: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Wisconsin.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMid-Atlantic Region: July 18-23; States involved: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, DC
New England Region: July 18-23; States involved: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont.
North Carolina Region (Host): TBA
Northwest Region: July 18-23; States involved: Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington
Southeast Region: July 17-22; States involved: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia
Southwest Region: July 18-22; States involved: Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas East, Texas West
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWest: July 18-23; States involved: Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, Northern California, Southern California, Utah
2026 Little League Softball International Regional Tournaments
Asia-Pacific Region: June 12-14; Countries involved: TBA
Canada: TBA: Teams involved: TBA
Europe & Africa: July 1-5; Countries involved: TBA
Latin America: July 6-10; Countries involved: TBA
How does a North Carolina softball team qualify for the Little League World Series?
A North Carolina softball team can earn its way into the Little League Softball World Series bracket in one of two ways, according to Little League. "As the host state of the event, the champion of the North Carolina Little League Softball tournament is granted direct entry into the LLSWS, while the runner-up of that tournament will have the opportunity to compete through the Southeast Region Tournament to earn a bid as the Southeast Region Champion," said Kevin Fountain, Senior Director of Communications for Little League International
Who won the 2025 Little League Softball World Series?
The 2025 Little League Softball World Series concluded with Indiana and Pennsylvania competing for the title in Greenville, North Carolina.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPennsylvania made its first championship game appearance since 2018, and the West Suburban LL squad from Johnstown did not disappoint.
Johnstown, representing the Mid-Atlantic region, recorded four consecutive shutout wins to end the tournament and capture the 2025 LLSWS championship title with a 1-0 victory over Floyds Knobs, Indiana, which was representing the Central region.
The victory marks the first Little League Softball World Series title for a team from Pennsylvania since 1978. - Sherlon Christie, Jon Hoefling and Gabe Zaldivar.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Little League Softball World Series: teams, dates, regions-location