Grand Canyon officially joins the Mountain West

Grand Canyon will join the Mountain West Conference at least in 2026, the school and the conference announced Friday.

The decision comes six months after GCU announced it would join the West Coast Conference in 2025.

“We want to best position ourselves to be nationally competitive, and we are excited about the vision and future of the Mountain West,” GU athletic director Jamie Boggs said in a statement. “We are participating in a conference that has enjoyed national success, developed a rich tradition over 26 years, and positioned us financially for competitive success in this changing higher education landscape. We are eager to compete for championships with our future colleagues in the Mountain West.”

GCU will compete in 17 conference-sponsored sports, most notably men's basketball. The Antelopes have qualified for the last three NCAA men's basketball tournaments, the most recent of which included a first-round upset of fifth-seeded Saint Mary's.

“Grand Canyon is a tremendous addition to the Mountain West. We are pleased to expand our footprint to the city of Phoenix and the state of Arizona,” MW Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a statement. “Grand Canyon has been on an upward trajectory both academically and athletically over the past decade, and its addition to the league will increase competition across the Mountain West as we strive to earn NCAA postseason bids and compete for national championships .”

The MW began targeting GCU for expansion after five of its members — Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State — announced earlier this year that they were heading to the Pac-12.

GCU's decision was not well received by the WCC, which announced in May that GCU – along with Seattle – would attend the conference in July 2025.

“We are disappointed by the decision to seek conference membership elsewhere, which would have increased its national profile, just months after entering into the membership agreement with the WCC,” said WCC Commissioner Stu Jackson. “The WCC views GCU’s decision as a missed opportunity to participate in one of the premier conferences in men’s basketball. The WCC is a stalwart multi-basketball league with a rich history that includes multiple national champions, six Final Four appearances and countless deep runs in the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship.

“The WCC President's Council will continue to assess the current landscape of Division I athletics, move forward ambitiously in exploring expansion and alliance opportunities that position the WCC for NCAA success, pursue meaningful planning opportunities for all members and national exposure for the conference through the widespread broadcast visibility to which it has become accustomed.”

The WCC also recently lost conference leader Gonzaga, which announced last month that it would join the Pac-12 in 2026.

As part of the announcement, GCU said it could join the MW as early as “in the second quarter of 2025, if permitted by the conference's bylaws.”