5 things to know about the expanded March Madness tournaments

The NCAA tournament for both the men and women will look different in 2027. The field is expanding to 76 teams for both March Madness events.

Here’s a quick rundown of what fans should know.

1. The tournament’s new size

March Madness will now have 76 teams in both the men’s and women’s tournaments, up from 68, starting with the upcoming 2026-27 season. A 76-team field represents about 21 percent of Division I men’s and women’s basketball programs, a share similar to Division I baseball and softball.

EXPANSION: A deeper look at the new 76-team bracket

2. How the new round works

Due to the addition of eight teams, the tournaments will now begin with the Opening Round, which will be 12 games total played over two days — six per day — before the first round. Previously, both tournaments had the First Four, which had four total games, with two each day.

3. The teams that will play in the Opening Round

The 12 lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the 12 lowest-seeded at-large teams on the committee’s overall seed list will play in the Opening Round, for a total of 24 teams and 12 games. This will be for both the men’s and women’s tournaments.

4. When and where the Opening Round will happen

The men’s 12 Opening Round games will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday after Selection Sunday in Dayton, Ohio and a second host city to be determined. Dayton was the home site of the First Four for the men’s tournament. In this expanded format, both Dayton and the second site will have triple-headers on two days.

The women’s 12 games will be on Wednesday and Thursday across 12 campus sites designated as First Round and Second Round hosts.

HOW IT WORKS: A quick look at how the format will work

5. What stays the same

After the Opening Round, the 64-team bracket will operate the same as in previous tournaments. The First Round will have 32 games played across two days (Thursday and Friday for men, Friday and Saturday for women), with the Second Round then following. After that, it will remain the Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four and the national championship.

Automatic qualifiers will also remain the same. In 2027, there will be 32 automatic qualifiers for both tournaments. The 12 lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers on the overall seed list will play in six Opening Round games. The winners of these games will advance to the First Round and the 64-team bracket.