The NCAA announced on the date of May 7, 2026, that its Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will each expand from 68 to 76 teams beginning with the next season. The change adds eight teams and eight games to each competition, representing the largest increase in either field in decades. [Source 12341]

Under the revised format, 24 teams in each tournament will contest 12 games in a new “March Madness Opening Round.” The participants will be the 12 lowest-seeded at-large selections and the 12 lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers. Those winners will advance to the conventional 64-team bracket, which will continue to begin on Thursday for the men and Friday for the women. Only 52 teams will now move directly into that stage, compared with 60 under the 68-team system. [Source 12341]

The men’s opening-round games will be divided between Dayton, Ohio, the host of the First Four since 2011, and a second location chosen through an open bidding process. The NCAA expects to select that additional site for the next two years in July. The women’s opening round will be held on the home courts of 12 of the tournament’s top 16 seeds. [Source 12341]

The expanded games are expected to be scheduled on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt said the men’s broadcast plan could feature six games each night in staggered tripleheaders, although television partners will help settle the schedule. Once the opening round is complete, the tournaments will retain their established three-week structure. Gavitt said a field larger than 76 would be difficult to accommodate within that period. [Source 12341]

Financing was a central part of the decision. The value of the tournaments’ media agreements is expected to rise by about $50 million annually during the six years remaining on the current contracts. The NCAA projects that schools will receive more than $131 million in additional tournament-unit distributions over that period. Gavitt said expansion would not have proceeded without the added funding needed for travel, team allowances and game operations. [Source 12341]

The NCAA also opened tournament sponsorship opportunities to alcohol categories that had previously been restricted, including beer, wine, spirits and hard seltzer. The Associated Press reported that the broader sponsorship arrangement and additional advertising inventory helped make the expansion financially workable. [Source 12340]

Supporters describe the change as a measured response to member institutions seeking greater postseason access. Gavitt said none of the NCAA’s 32 conferences opposed expansion at any level. Critics, however, have questioned whether the additional at-large places will disproportionately benefit power-conference teams. UConn women’s coach Geno Auriemma characterized the move as financially driven and questioned the need to enlarge the women’s field. [Source 12340]

The men’s tournament last expanded to 68 teams in 2011, while the women’s field reached 68 in 2022. Despite the larger opening phase, NCAA officials said the recognizable 64-team portion of March Madness will remain intact. [Sources 12340, 12341]