Aug. 1, 2026Updated Aug. 4, 2026, 2:06 p.m. ET
Youth softball’s biggest event is about to take over your television and the city of Greenville, North Carolina.
The Little League Softball World Series is happening from Aug. 2-9 at Stallings Stadium at Elm Street Park for those that are traveling to Greenville, North Carolina. Visitors to the area that week can attend The Little League Softball World Series Opening Ceremony & Celebration on Saturday, Aug. 1 from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. ET. Also, the event will attract a worldwide television audience as a combination of ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC will broadcast all 22 games of this year’s tournament.
Twelve teams (eight from the United States, four international challengers) all have a chance to earn the Little League Softball World Series banner − with the title game airing at 3 p.m. ET on ABC on Aug. 9.
Here’s everything to know about the teams in the 2026 Little League Softball World Series.
2026 Little League Softball World Series purple bracket teams
Canada Regional Champion
OnField Little League (Repentigny, Quebec) gets to experience the LLSWS for the third straight year after it won the Canada Region Tournament with a 2-0 record. Since 2022, OnField has secured three of the five Canada Region spots with St. Albert Softball Little League (St. Albert, Alberta) earning the 2022 and 2023 selections. OnField has a 1-4 record in its two previous LLSWS appearances.
Europe-Africa Regional Champion
The Emilia Romagna Little League program (Bologna, Italy) will be one of the teams that knows how crazy the week in Greenville can get this time of year. It will be the team’s third LLSWS appearance and the country’s ninth overall, according to Little League. Emilia Romagna LL arrives at the championship location with a 5-1 record from its regional tournament. Just two years ago, Emilia Romagna made its last trip to the LLSWS with its only other appearance coming in 2008, the first time it qualified for the tournament.
North Carolina Regional Champion
Johnston County Little League out of Clayton, North Carolina, will compete for the world title for the first time, according to Little League. The team had a perfect performance in the regional tournament, going 3-0, and also outscored the competition 32-0 in those games. According to WKML 95.7, Johnston County Little League only started its softball program in 2023 and now has a chance to win a world title. If Johnston County LL is successful, it will be the fourth North Carolina-based program to win the tournament and the first since 2024 − when Pitt County Girls Softball Little League from Winterville, North Carolina, won the championship.
Northwest Regional Champion
A little over a decade after a representative from Snohomish, Washington, made the LLSWS, another program from the area is in position to compete for the LLSWS championship. This time, it will be Snohomish Little League after it defeated Northwest Ada Little League (Boise, Idaho), 11-3, in the Northwest Regional title game this year. So, when was the last time a team from Snohomish got to the LLSWS? Well, that would be 2015 and it was South Snohomish Little League winning the Northwest Region title that year to qualify for the World Series, held in Portland, Oregon, at the time. In 2021, South and North Snohomish Little League merged to create the current Snohomish Little League, which went 3-0 in this year’s regional tournament. Snohomish Little League comes to Greenville, North Carolina, with some notoriety as ESPN analyst Danielle Lawrie’s daughter, Madison Locke, is one of the key players on the team. Locke struck out 12 batters in the regional tournament championship game on July 23.
Southeast Regional Champion
If you’ve heard of Lake Mary Little League participating in the Little League Softball World Series before, your memory is on target. For the second year in a row, Lake Mary LL will represent the Southeast Region at youth softball’s top summer event. This year, Lake Mary went 4-0 in the regional tournament and defeated Pitt County Girls Softball LL (Winterville, North Carolina), 3-1, in the championship game. According to Florida Today, “it was Lake Mary’s second win over (Pitt County Girls Softball LL) in three days after a walk-off two-run double by Avery Little in the seventh inning (on) Monday sent them to the championship (game). In its LLSWS debut in 2025, Lake Mary LL went 3-2, with both losses coming against the Southwest Regional champion − Tulsa National Little League.
Southwest Regional Champion
A controversy involving the Tulsa National Little League Softball team erupted in the Little League Softball Southwest Regional tournament. As a result, Little League declared the following in a statement: “Accordingly, the Little League Softball Southwest Region Tournament will conclude with a one-game championship between Texas West (Helotes Little League) and Louisiana (Eastbank Little League) on July 21, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. CT in Waco, Texas. The decision of the Little League International Tournament Committee is final and binding.” Greater Helotes Little League won that de facto championship game, 2-0, to advance to the Little League Softball World Series for the second time in the charter’s history. Greater Helotes LL’s participation this year comes with some bragging rights − the charter won the 2016 Little League Softball World Series and is one of 14 Texas teams to ever win the tournament.
2026 Little League Softball World Series orange bracket teams
Asia-Pacific Regional Champion
Kinki Softball Little League from Sangō, Japan, is this year’s Asia-Pacific representative to the tournament. It is the second year in a row that Japan will send a team from the region and this is Kinki Softball Little League’s first appearance in the Softball World Series for this Little League division. The most incredible fact surrounding this program is that it started its charter with Little League in 2025 and is already showcasing its talent on a worldwide level. Japan comes to the LLSWS after going 2-0 in its regional tournament.
Central Regional Champion
If there was one team to watch in the 2026 Little League Softball World Series, Daviess County Little League might be that squad. First, Daviess County defeated last year’s LLSWS runner-up Floyds Knobs Little League, 1-0, on July 22 to win this year’s Central Region Tournament and finish with a 4-1 record. Second, Daviess County’s pitcher Michaela Knight was tough to stop not only in the regional championship game but for the whole tournament. She went six innings, allowed four hits, gave up two walks and struck out five in the shutout victory over Floyds Knobs LL to win the regional title. She also pitched all 30 innings in her team’s five games and had 25 strikeouts during the regional tournament. Third, Daviess County clinched the program’s first ticket to the LLSWS and became only the second Kentucky-based team to ever earn a berth in the LLSWS. Valley Sports Little League (Louisville, Kentucky) was the first Kentucky team to qualify as the Central Regional participant in 2005. Finally, Daviess County LL became the fourth straight Central Region Tournament champion to come out of the loser’s bracket. A Kentucky team has never won the Little League Softball World Series.
Latin America Regional Champion
Guayama Softball Little League (Guayama, Puerto Rico) had a sparkling showing in its regional tournament, going 5-0, to win a berth into the LLSWS. Puerto Rico has a rich history of competing in the LLSWS, qualifying 16 previous times, with its last appearance coming in 2023, according to Little League. In that year, Guayama concluded its trip with a 2-2 record. A fun fact about Puerto Rico’s representation in the LLSWS history is that out “of those 16 trips, Guayama has represented Latin America in both 2023 and 2022 with teams out of Maunabo and Coamo representing the country the other 14 times,” Little League said in a statement. Puerto Rico also has one big footnote in the history books – it is the only non-US state to ever win the LLSWS – doing it in 2001 with the aforementioned Maunabo Little League.
Mid-Atlantic Regional Champion
Toms River has a notable history when it comes to Little League baseball − and now the town’s softball team has a chance to make some profound memories on the World Series level. Toms River Little League emerged from the loser’s bracket of the Mid-Atlantic Regional tournament to beat Minersville Little League (Minersville, Pennsylvania), 5-3, to win this year’s title. The victory clinched Toms River LL’s first trip to the Little League Softball World Series and the Jersey Shore-area squad became just the fifth team from New Jersey to qualify for the global event. Does New Jersey have a Little League Softball World Series Championship? Yes. Robbinsville Little League went 6-0 and defeated Bossier City, Louisiana, 4-1, in the 2014 title game to give the state its only LLSWS title.
New England Regional Champion
Bristol Girls Softball Little League has a claim to the most dramatic way to qualify for the LLSWS this year. Bristol Girls Softball LL was down to its last two outs and trailed by two runs entering the bottom of the sixth inning of the New England Regional championship game on July 23. However, thanks to Lucy Bastiaanse (inside the park home run) and Avery Collins (game-winning infield single), who had the key hits, Bristol Girls Softball LL defeated Cranston Western Little League (Cranston, Rhode Island), 4-3, in walk-off fashion to earn the program’s first Little League Softball World Series berth. They’ll become the fifth Connecticut-based team to ever qualify, but no Connecticut team has ever won the LLSWS.
West Regional Champion
Live Oak Little League clinched the final spot in the Little League Softball World Series for United States teams when it defeated Summerlin South Little League (Las Vegas), 2-1, in the West Region championship game on July 23. That victory secured the program’s first trip to the LLSWS. Live Oak LL finished the regional tournament 4-0 and will take that momentum to Greenville, North Carolina, when the competition starts on Aug. 2. Live Oak LL will be the eighth California team to qualify for the global event. Has a California team ever won the Little League Softball World Series? The answer is yes, as five of the previous seven California teams that have participated walked away with the championship banner. The last California team to win the title was Foothill Little League (Glendale, California) in 1990. It defeated Tallmadge, Ohio, 2-0.
View the 2026 Little League Softball World Series bracket
How to watch the 2026 Little League Softball World Series
The 2026 Little League Softball World Series will be broadcast on ESPN platforms, with the championship game airing on ABC. Games will also be available to stream on ESPN+.
- Dates:Â Aug. 2-9
- TV:Â ESPN, ESPN2, ABC
- Stream:Â ESPN+
- Location:Â Greenville, North Carolina
United States Little League Softball World Series winners by state, through 2025
- 1. Texas: 14
- 2. Florida: 8
- 3. California: 5
- 4. North Carolina: 3
- T5. Georgia: 2
- T5: Illinois: 2
- T5: New Mexico: 2
- T5: Oregon: 2
- T5: Pennsylvania: 2
- T10: Arizona: 1
- T10: Michigan: 1
- T10: New York: 1
- T10: New Jersey: 1
- T10: Oklahoma: 1
- T10: Ohio: 1
- T10: Rhode Island: 1
- T10: South Carolina: 1
- T10: Tennessee: 1
- T10: Virginia: 1
United States Little League Softball World Series winners by country, through 2025
- 1. United States: 50
- 2. Puerto Rico: 1Â
Little League Softball World Series winners by year, 1974-2025
- 2025: West Suburban Little League – Johnstown, Pennsylvania
- 2024: Pitt County Girls Softball Little League – Winterville, North Carolina
- 2023: Massapequa International Little League – Massapequa Park, New York
- 2022: Midway Little League– Hewitt, Texas
- 2021: Green Country Little League– Muskogee, Oklahoma
- 2019: Rowan Little League– Salisbury, North Carolina   Â
- 2018: Wheelersburg Little League – Wheelersburg, Ohio
- 2017: Lake Air Little League – Waco, Texas
- 2016: Greater Helotes Little League – Helotes, Texas
- 2015: Rowan Little League – Salisbury, North Carolina
- 2014: Robbinsville Little League – Robbinsville, New Jersey
- 2013: Sunnyside Little League – Tucson, Arizona
- 2012: Eastdale Little League – Albuquerque, New Mexico
- 2011: Sterling Little League – Sterling, Illinois
- 2010: Warner Robins American Little League – Warner Robins, Georgia
- 2009: Warner Robins American Little League – Warner Robins, Georgia
- 2008: Simpsonville Little League – Simpsonville, South Carolina
- 2007: Morristown Am/Natl Little League – Morristown, Tennessee
- 2006: Mattawan Little League – Mattawan, Michigan
- 2005: McLean Little League – McLean, Virginia
- 2004: Midway Little League – Waco, Texas
- 2003: Midway Little League – Waco, Texas
- 2002: Midway Little League – Waco, Texas
- 2001: Maunabo Little League – Maunabo, Puerto Rico
- 2000: Midway Little League – Waco, Texas
- 1999: Midway Little League – Waco, Texas
- 1998: Midway Little League – Waco, Texas
- 1997: Midway Little League – Waco, Texas
- 1996: Countryside Little League – Clearwater, Florida
- 1995: Midway Little League – Waco, Texas
- 1994: Midway Little League – Waco, Texas
- 1993: Midway Little League – Waco, Texas
- 1992: Midway Little League – Waco, Texas
- 1991: Greater Naples Little League – Naples, Florida
- 1990: Foothill Little League – Glendale, California
- 1989: Greater Naples Little League – Naples, Florida
- 1988: Greater Naples Little League – Naples, Florida
- 1987: Tampa Bay Little League – Tampa, Florida
- 1986: Tampa Bay Little League – Tampa, Florida
- 1985: National Little League – Brookfield, Illinois
- 1984: Albuquerque Little League – Albuquerque, New Mexico
- 1983: Greater Naples Little League- Naples, Florida
- 1982: 76er Little League – Glendale, California
- 1981: Gresham Little League – Gresham, Oregon
- 1980: Glendale Little League – Glendale, California
- 1979: North Providence West Little League – North Providence, Rhode Island
- 1978: Shippensburg Little League – Shippensburg, Pennsylvania
- 1977: American Little League – Salinas, California
- 1976: Salinas Little League – Salinas, California
- 1975: National Little League – Medford, Oregon
- 1974: Wellswood Little League – Tampa, Florida
Sherlon Christie is a USA TODAY Sports senior trending editor and an expert on Little League Baseball and Little League Softball. You can reach him by email at schristie@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @sherlonchristie, on Bluesky at @sherlonchristie.bsky.social.
