The 2026 March Madness Schedule gets started with Selection Sunday on March 15, 2026. The 2026 NCAA Tournament First Four quickly gets going on St. Patrick’s Day with the First Four. Not quite as good as Selection Sunday on March 17th in 2024, but almost as good! The first round of the 2026 Men’s tournament starts on March 19th. The NCAA Final Four and Championship games are on April 5th and 7th, 2026.
2026 March Madness Schedule
As more information becomes available for March Madness in 2026, we’ll provide you updates. This includes confirmation of the 2026 Selection Sunday time and broadcast channel. We are assuming the time (that hasn’t changed in a gazillion years) will either be the same (6PM ET) or enter some type of rotation with the Women’s Selection Show and possibly swap to 8PM for the 2026 Women’s March Madness schedule announcement.
Selection Sunday: 6 p.m. ET 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: Saturday, April 5
NCAA championship game: Monday, April 7
2026 March Madness First Four Schedule
| Round | Dates | City | Venue | Host(s) |
| First Four | March 17-18 | Dayton, OH | UD Arena | University of Dayton |
2026 March Madness First and Second Round Schedule
Some great locations for the opening rounds of the 2026 NCAA Men’s basketball tournament.
| First/Second | March 19-21 | Buffalo, NY | KeyBank Center | Metro Atlantic Athletic ConferenceCanisius CollegeNiagara University |
| First/Second | March 19-21 | Greenville, SC | Bon SecoursWellness Arena | FurmanSouthern Conference |
| First/Second | March 20-22 | Tampa, FL | Amalie Arena | University of South Florida |
| First/Second | March 19-21 | Oklahoma City, OK | Paycom Center | Big 12 Conference |
| First/Second | March 20-22 | Philadelphia, PA | Wells Fargo Center | Saint Joseph’s University |
| First/Second | March 19-21 | Portland, OR | Moda Center | Oregon State 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 |
2026 Sweet 16 and Elite 8 Schedule
| Round | Dates | City | Venue | Host(s) |
| MidwestRegional | March 27-29 | Chicago, IL | United Center | Northwestern University |
| SouthRegional | March 26-28 | Houston, TX | Toyota Center | University of Houston |
| WestRegional | March 26-28 | San Jose, CA | SAP Center | San Jose State University |
| EastRegional | March 27-29 | Washington, D.C. | Capital One Arena | Georgetown University |
2026 Final Four and Championship Game Schedule
I tell you what. The good folks of Indianapolis definitely get spoiled at times in March Madness season! 2026 will be the fourth time since 2010 that the Men’s Final Four is held at the stadium. The great location is also on tap to host the 2029 Men’s Final Four. The Horizon League and IUPUI are the hosts for the 2026 Final Four.
| Round | Dates | City | Venue | Host(s) |
| Final Four/ Championship | April 5 & 7 | Indianapolis | Lucas Oil Stadium | Horizon League, IUPUI |
