The 2026 March Madness tournament begins with selections on Sunday, March 15. Games start with the First Four on Tuesday, March 17 and Wednesday, March 18. Action continues through the Final Four in Indianapolis on April 4 and 6.
Check out the full March Madness tournament schedule below.
2026 NCAA tournament schedule, dates
Here is the schedule:
- Selection Sunday: Sunday, March 15
- First Four: March 17-18
- First round: March 19-20
- Second round: March 21-22
- Sweet 16: March 26-27
- Elite Eight: March 28-29
- Final Four: April 4 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
- NCAA championship game: April 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
2026 March Madness tournament locations
| 2026 PRELIMINARY ROUND SITES | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Dates |
City |
Venue |
Host(s) |
|
First Four |
March 17 & 18 |
Dayton, OH |
UD Arena |
University of Dayton |
|
First/Second |
March 19 & 21 |
Buffalo, NY |
KeyBank Center |
Metro Atlantic |
|
First/Second |
March 19 & 21 |
Greenville, SC |
Bon Secours Wellness Arena |
Furman |
| First/Second |
March 19 & 21 |
Oklahoma City, OK |
Paycom Center |
Big 12 Conference |
| First/Second | March 19 & 21 | Portland, OR | Moda Center | Oregon State University |
| First/Second | March 20 & 22 | Tampa, FL | Benchmark International Arena | University of South Florida |
| First/Second | March 20 & 22 | Philadelphia, PA | Xfinity Mobile Arena | Saint Joseph's University |
| First/Second | March 20 & 22 | San Diego, CA | Viejas Arena | San Diego State University |
|
First/Second |
March 20 & 22 |
St. Louis, MO |
Enterprise Center |
Missouri Valley Conference |
|
South Regional |
March 26 & 28 |
Houston, TX |
Toyota Center |
Rice University |
|
West Regional |
March 26 & 28 |
San Jose, CA |
SAP Center |
San Jose State University |
|
Midwest Regional |
March 27 & 29 | Chicago, IL | United Center | Northwestern University |
|
East Regional |
March 27 & 29 |
Washington, D.C. |
Capital One Arena |
Georgetown University |
| Final Four | April 4 & 6 | Indianapolis | Lucas Oil Stadium |
Horizon League |
2025 NCAA men's tournament bracket
Click or tap here for the interactive bracket
Here is a look at the 2024 tournament bracket:
March Madness: Future sites, dates
Here are the future sites for the NCAA Division I men's basketball Final Four:
| FINAL FOUR DATES | CITY, REGION | FACILITY | HOST |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 4 and 6, 2026 | Indianapolis | Lucas Oil Stadium | Horizon League, IU Indianapolis |
| April 3 and 5, 2027 | Detroit | Ford Field | Michigan State University |
| April 1 and 3, 2028 | Las Vegas | Allegiant Stadium | UNLV |
| March 31 and April 2, 2029 | Indianapolis | Lucas Oil Stadium | Horizon League, IU Indianapolis |
| April 6 and 8, 2030 | North Texas | AT&T Stadium | Big 12 Conference |
| April 5 and 7, 2031 | Atlanta | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Georgia Tech |
