College soccer tournaments will be held entirely in North Carolina

CARY, N.C. (WTVD) -- The NCAA approved a plan Wednesday that would have the entire men's and women's college soccer championships in North Carolina.

All 48 Division I women's teams and all 36 men's teams would compete in Cary and surrounding areas. The move is effective for this year's soccer championships, which were postponed last fall because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Division I Men's and Women's Soccer Committees said it believes having both championships in one geographic location will minimize travel and condense the overall time to conduct the championships. It also minimizes the number of local and state health jurisdiction guidelines by which to abide and streamlines COVID-19 testing sites and setup.

Selections for both championships will be April 19, and both tournaments will conclude with the NCAA College Cups at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.

The women's national semifinals will be May 13 and the men's May 14, while both national champions will be crowned May 17.

The tournaments begin with first-round action April 27-28 for the women and April 29 for the men.

Campbell, East Carolina, University of North Carolina Wilmington, UNC Greensboro and Wake Forest will host tournament games.

Several off-campus sites for tournament matches will be used as well, including J. Burt Gillette Athletic Complex in Wilson and WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.

The committees said there will be "some opportunity" for family and friends to attend the championships.

The maximum allowable capacity will be 25 percent.