Grand Canyon is joining the Mountain West by 2026 and spurning its previous commitment to the West Coast Conference, the university announced Friday. The move comes just months after GCU accepted an invitation from the WCC and announced it would be leaving the WAC in 2025.
Though the Mountain West announced that the move will become effective by 2026, Grand Canyon said it could join as early as 2025 “if permitted under the conference’s bylaws.” In its announcement of the move, Grand Canyon clarified that it will not compete in the WCC.
“In joining the Mountain West Conference, GCU has formally declined an invitation from the West Coast Conference that would have seen the Lopes become WCC members on July 1, 2025,” read Grand Canyon’s announcement
Grand Canyon has developed into one of the country’s strongest mid-major basketball programs over the past four years under coach Bryce Drew, reaching three of the past four NCAA Tournaments and even advancing to the second round last season following a first-round victory over No. 5 seed Saint Mary’s.
While the move bolsters the Mountain West’s profile in basketball and other sports, Grand Canyon does not play football, which means the league still has just eight football-playing members. While that figure is enough for the league to operate under Division I rules, the Mountain West is still looking for at least one more football-playing member.
The move is yet another blow to the WCC, which is losing Gonzaga to the Pac-12 in 2026 amid a chaotic wave of realignment.
