2026 March Madness: Key dates, schedule, locations, details to know for NCAA Men's Tournament
The NCAA Tournament is just around the corner, so here's what dates to circle on your calendar
We've reached March on the calendar, and of course, all of you know what that means. Yes, the most wonderful time of the year that is March Madness is upon us. Mere weeks stand between fans and an official 68-team bracket for this year's March Madness being unveiled on Selection Sunday before First Four and First Round action follow shortly thereafter.
Before we all know it, it'll be tournament time. So, if you're looking for the details and dates -- you're in the right place. Grab that calendar so you can circle the dates below and request off work in advance. The NCAA Tournament always delivers the goods, but with so many great teams worthy of a championship, this year should be especially delightful.
Here's all the dates and locations to know on the March Madness calendar.
| Dates | Event |
|---|---|
| Sunday, March 15 | Selection Sunday |
| March 17-18 | First Four |
| March 19-20 | First Round |
| March 21-22 | Second Round |
| March 26-27 | Sweet 16 |
| March 28-29 | Elite Eight |
| Saturday, April 4 | Final Four |
| Monday, April 6 | NCAA championship game |
First Four games, as always, will be played in Dayton, Ohio, at UD Arena. This year's Final Four and NCAA championship game will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. First and second round games, as well as the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, will be held at various places across the country.
You can see those full details from the NCAA below.
| Round | Dates | Location | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| First/Second | March 19 & 21 | Buffalo, NY | KeyBank Center |
| First/Second | March 19 & 21 | Greenville, SC | Bon Secours Wellness Arena |
| First/Second | March 19 & 21 | Oklahoma City, OK | Paycom Center |
| First/Second | March 19 & 21 | Portland, OR | Moda Center |
| First/Second | March 20 & 22 | Tampa, FL | Benchmark International Arena |
| First/Second | March 20 & 22 | Philadelphia, PA | Xfinity Mobile Arena |
| First/Second | March 20 & 22 | San Diego, CA | Viejas Arena |
| First/Second | March 20 & 22 | St. Louis, MO | Enterprise Center |
| South Regional | March 26 & 28 | Houston, TX | Toyota Center |
| West Regional | March 26 & 28 | San Jose, CA | SAP Center |
| Midwest Regional | March 27 & 29 | Chicago, IL | United Center |
| East Regional | March 27 & 29 | Washington, D.C. | Capital One Arena |
| Final Four | April 4 & 6 | Indianapolis, Ind. | Lucas Oil Stadium |
Transfer portal dates
While you've got that calendar handy, here's something else worth adding to the planner: The new transfer portal for both men's and women's basketball players will open for a 15-day period starting the day after the NCAA championship game. That means the men's college basketball portal will open April 7.
Previous rules allowed for the portal to be open for 45 days in 2024 and was shortened to 30 days last year. The time to enter the portal was previously the day after Selection Sunday and amended last year for players to be eligible to enter it after the opening weekend of March Madness.
That led to a confluence of confusion among decision-makers, including as Matt Norlander noted last month: eventual champion UConn hosting virtual interviews on Zooms with transfer candidates while at the Final Four.
