(Cleveland, OH) – Greater Cleveland Sports Commission (GCSC) announces the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has selected Cleveland as the host location for eight national championship events between fall 2022 and 2026. Topping the list will be 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships First/Second Rounds and 2026 NCAA DI Men’s Wrestling Championships and in total will generate an estimated $27,125,000 in economic activity for Northeast Ohio.
“We’re extremely excited to welcome eight NCAA Championships to our community,” said David Gilbert, President and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. “Our team along with our incredible partners have consistently proven they can punch above their weight when it comes to securing major sporting events for our city. To host the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball and 2026 NCAA DI Men’s Wrestling Championships twice within an eight-year period, is an incredible accomplishment for any destination; yet if any city can achieve this, it’s Cleveland.”
More than 3,000 bids were submitted from potential host cities across the nation during the 2022-2026 NCAA bid cycle making this process more competitive than in 2017 where a total of 1,865 bids were received for NCAA events awarded between 2018-2022.
In addition to hosting DI Wrestling, Cleveland will host 2025 March Madness First/Second Rounds and 2024 Women’s Final Four, which was previously announced, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The combined economic impact of these three Championships will total $45 million.
“Our city is now hosting the three largest NCAA events possible with our current infrastructure within a three-year period,” said Gilbert. “Cleveland’s selection of these incredible Championships provides us with a promising outlook for the future of live sporting events.The inspiration for this community to continue to move forward is in acknowledgement to the Mid-American Conference, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, SPIRE Institute, North Coast Athletic Conference, Lake Erie College and Classic Park for their partnership with the sports commission and communal efforts to achieve this great news.”
Northeast Ohio is currently set to host eleven NCAA championships between 2021-2026. These events will combine to provide an estimated economic impact of $53,125,000.
Since 2006, GCSC has attracted 34 NCAA Championships which have garnered more nearly $128 million of economic activity to Northeast Ohio.
Photo courtesy of GCSC
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