Selection Sunday for March Madness 2026: Bracket reveal time, channel, and full schedule
The March Madness 2026 builds on recent excitement, following Florida's 2025 championship victory over Houston. Teams across the country now await their fate.
Selection Sunday marks the exciting moment when the NCAA Tournament field is set, and fans finally know the matchups for March Madness 2026. With conference tournaments wrapping up, the bracket reveal is one of the most anticipated events in college basketball. Here are all the details.
When is Selection Sunday for March Madness 2026?
Selection Sunday for the men's NCAA Tournament is on Sunday, March 15, 2026. This is the official day the 68-team field is announced, complete with seeds and first-round pairings.
What time does the bracket reveal start?
The men's Selection Show kicks off at 6 PM ET. The one-hour broadcast unveils the entire bracket region by region, building suspense as teams discover their paths to the national title. Notably, the women's bracket reveal follows later at 8 PM ET.
TV channel and streaming options for the bracket reveal
Tune in to CBS for live coverage of the men's bracket reveal. The network has long been the home for Selection Sunday, delivering expert analysis alongside the announcements.
For streaming, options include Paramount+ (Premium plan required for live CBS access), March Madness Live, Fubo, and other live TV services like YouTube TV or DIRECTV Stream. These platforms let fans watch on phones, tablets, or smart TVs without missing a seed reveal.
Full 2026 NCAA men's tournament schedule
Once the bracket drops, action ramps up quickly:
First Four: March 17–18 at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Play-in games for the final spots.
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
National Championship: April 6 in Indianapolis
The Final Four venue promises a massive atmosphere at the NFL stadium, continuing the tradition of big stages for the climax.
Selection Sunday for March Madness 2026: How the 68-Team field works
Thirty-one automatic bids come from conference tournament winners, like recent qualifiers such as the Akron Zips, securing their spot with a dramatic Mid-American Conference title win. The selection committee fills the rest with at-large berths, debating resumes until the final cuts. The First Four trims the field to 64 for the main bracket.
The March Madness 2026 builds on recent excitement, following Florida's 2025 championship victory over Houston. Teams across the country now await their fate, ready for upsets, Cinderella runs, and unforgettable moments. It's the gateway to one of sports' greatest tournaments.
About the Author
Aachal Maniyar is a Senior Content Producer at LiveMint, where she covers US sports with a focus on major leagues, marquee events, and athlete-driven stories, while also reporting extensively on cricket and global sports. With over five years of first-hand journalism experience, she combines sharp editorial judgment with real-time sports storytelling across platforms. <br><br> Her reporting journey spans leading newsrooms including Thomson Reuters, India TV, BTVI, ET NOW, and CNBC TV18, where she has worked across breaking news, live match coverage, feature writing, interviews, video scripting, and anchoring. This multi-platform exposure has shaped her ability to deliver context-rich sports and business journalism tailored for both television and digital audiences. <br><br> Aachal has conducted and produced exclusive interviews with athletes and public figures such as India cricketer Dhruv Jurel, Indian women’s hockey captain Savita Punia, and industrialist Ratan Tata, along with several emerging and established sports personalities. Her body of work includes in-depth explainers, athlete profiles, emotionally resonant fan narratives, and data-backed match analysis across cricket, Olympic sports, and international competitions. <br><br> She holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune, and believes in reporting that is grounded in accuracy, clarity, and credibility. Her philosophy is simple: sports journalism should go beyond scores and statistics, capturing the human stories, pressure moments, and decisions that shape the game and the people who play it.
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