When does March Madness start?

MAJOR SPORTS EVENTS02 Feb 2026

3 min. read

March Madness is one if not the most popular, events in the United States. The event is customarily held in March, hence the name, and it reunites the elite of college athletes who compete across an action-packed basketball tournament.

Officially known as the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, a less exciting nickname than March Madness, the event is due to kick off with Selection Sunday on March 15, 2026, with the First Four on March 19-20.

When is March Madness kicking off?

Date: March 15, Sunday

The key takeaway is that March Madness will start on March 15, with Selection Sunday, before going into First Four.

The time and locations will vary as the games are played over multiple college stadiums all over the country, with 14 venues selected to host the basketball tournament this year.

March Madness Live results & updates

To get the most up-to-date information on the March Madness contest and the most recent results, you may want to check the official live bracket. Visit the link here.

March Madness dates, locations, and hosts

Dates	City	Venue	Host
March 17 & 18	Dayton, OH	UD Arena	University of Dayton
March 19 & 21	Buffalo, NY	KeyBank Center	Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Canisius College Niagara University
March 19 & 21	Greenville, SC	Bon Secours Wellness Arena	Furman Southern Conference
March 19 & 21	Oklahoma City, OK	Paycom Center	Big 12 Conference
March 19 & 21	Portland, OR	Moda Center	Oregon State University
March 20 & 22	Tampa, FL	Benchmark International Arena	University of South Florida
March 20 & 22	Philadelphia, PA	Xfinity Mobile Arena	Saint Joseph's University
March 20 & 22	San Diego, CA	Viejas Arena	San Diego State University
March 20 & 22	St. Louis, MO	Enterprise Center	Missouri Valley Conference
March 26 & 28	Houston, TX	Toyota Center	Rice University
March 26 & 28	San Jose, CA	SAP Center	San Jose State University
March 27 & 29	Chicago, IL	United Center	Northwestern University
March 27 & 29	Washington, D.C.	Capital One Arena	Georgetown University
April 4 & 6	Indianapolis	Lucas Oil Stadium	Horizon League IU Indianapolis

Full March Madness 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

How to watch March Madness live?

To watch March Madness live, you have two options to choose from. You may either log into your Mach Madness Live account or opt for Paramount+, which is the official on-demand streaming partner for the event.

Past March Madness Winners

Year	Champion	Runner-up
2025	Florida	Houston
2024	Connecticut	Purdue
2023	Connecticut	San Diego State
2022	Kansas	North Carolina
2021	Baylor	Gonzaga
2020	Pandemic Shutdown	Pandemic Shutdown
2019	Virginia	Texas Tech
2018	Villanova	Michigan
2017	North Carolina	Gonzaga
2016	Villanova	North Carolina
2015	Duke	Wisconsin

March Madness early favorites

Team	Odds
Arizona	+400
Michigan	+450
Duke	+900
Houston	+1100
UConn	+1200
Iowa State	+1400
Illinois	+1700
Purdue	+2000
Gonzaga	+2000
Florida	+2200

March Madness teams have already emerged as favorites, with the Arizona Wildcats and Michigan Wolverines hovering at around +400 and listed as the winners for this year’s titles.

The Duke Blue Devils and UConn Huskies are also sitting at around +800 and +1200, respectively, meaning that this year’s field will be contested, even if there are some teams that are already seemingly pulling ahead.

In terms of dark horses, there are quite a few teams that have been competing in the top echelons and may have a claim on the title. Purdue +2000 and Gonzaga +2200 have both been in strong form over the past several years, consistently performing at the very top.

Stay tuned for more relevant updates about one of the most exciting sports events of the year.

Image credit: Unsplash.com

TOPICS: march madness