We have now entered March. With football season officially over weeks ago, the focus is on college basketball. The regular season is nearing its end, and soon, conference tournaments will be underway. From there, 68 teams will be selected to the NCAA Tournament.
March Madness is one of the most anticipated times of the year. Fans and casual viewers alike create their own brackets, trying to pick the winners of every game. It is a near-impossible feat to correctly predict every game, but it makes for a more entertaining viewing experience. We see the favored teams make deep runs, while underdo teams make Cinderella runs. Throughout the tournament, it goes from 68 teams down to four. Once we get to the latter number of teams left, the tournament heads to a huge venue to host as many fans as possible to see a national champion get crowned.
The 2025 men's Final Four will take place on Apr. 5 and 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. But where will future men's Final Four and national championship games take place?
Future Final Four & National Championship locations
Below are the future Final Four and national championship locations from 2026 until 2031.
Year | Dates | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
2026 | Apr. 4 and 6 | Indianapolis, Ind. | Lucas Oil Stadium |
2027 | Apr. 3 and 5 | Detroit, Mich. | Ford Field |
2028 | Apr. 1 and 3 | Las Vegas, Nev. | Allegiant Stadium |
2029 | March 31 and Apr. 2 | Indianapolis, Ind. | Lucas Oil Stadium |
2030 | Apr. 6 and 8 | North Texas | AT&T Stadium |
2031 | Apr. 5 and 7 | Atlanta, Ga. | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. will host the 2026 and 2029 Final Fours and National Championships. Lucas Oil Stadium typically holds 70,000 fans for basketball games. By the time 2029 rolls around, the home of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts will have hosted five Final Fours.
There are two new first-time hosts scheduled for the near future. In 2028 and 2031, Las Vegas and Atlanta will host the Final Four respectively. Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas) and Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta) have never hosted a Final Four. Allegiant Stadium can hold a maximum of 71,000 fans. Mercedes-Benz Stadium, meanwhile, holds up to 75,000 attendees.
Detroit will host the Final Four in 2027, and it will be the second time they do so, the first since 2009.
As for AT&T Stadium, 2030 will be the second time the 80,000 seat venue hosted the Final Four.
What happened the last time the Final Four was hosted at future locations?
The last time Lucas Oil Stadium hosted a Final Four was back in 2021. The Baylor Bears won the national championship after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs 86-70 to win their first national championship. Baylor defeated Houston 78-59, while Gonzaga beat UCLA 93-90 in overtime in the Final Four.
Ford Field last hosted the Final Four in 2009, where North Carolina won their fifth national title by defeating Michigan State 89-72. North Carolina made it to the National Championship Game by winning 82-73 over UConn, while Michigan State defeated Villanova 83-69.
AT&T Stadium hosted their only Final Four in 2014. That year, UConn defeated Kentucky 60-54 to win their fourth national championship. In the Final Four round, UConn defeated Florida 60-53, while Kentucky picked up a 74-73 victory over Wisconsin.
Most frequent Final Four locations in March Madness history
As for who hosted the most Final Fours in the history of March Madness, we're going to base it on the city, not the venue. The city that hosted the most Final Fours was Kansas City, Mo.
Kansas City hosted nine Final Fours at Municipal Auditorium (1940-42, 1953-55, 1957, 1961, and 1964). The only other venue at Kansas City that hosted the Final Four was Hy-Vee Arena in 1988.
As of now, before any of the future Final Fours take effect, the city with the second-most Final Fours hosted is Indianapolis with eight across three different venues. Indianapolis hosted at Market Square Arena once (1980), before holding four at the RCA Dome (1991, 1997, 2000, 2006) and three at Lucas Oil Stadium (2010, 2015, 2021).
The city with the third-most Final Fours hosted is New York City. The old Madison Square Garden (which is no longer around as of 1968) hosted seven Final Fours (1943-48, 1950).
Tied for fourth-most Final Fours hosted are New Orleans and Louisville with six each. New Orleans held their Final Fours at the Superdome (1982, 1987, 1993, 2003, 2012, 2022), while Louisville hosted at Freedom Hall (1958-59, 1962-63, 1967, 1969).