Future March Madness locations: Where will the tournament be held in upcoming years?

The road to the 2025 Final Four will end in San Antonio, but where will the NCAA Tournament play out over the next few years?
Colorado v UCLA
Colorado v UCLA | Katharine Lotze/GettyImages

It's almost time. After over four months of hoops, Selection Sunday is set to start the journey of March Madness, when 68 teams learn where they will begin their quest to cut down the nets and win a national championship. 

The 2025 edition of the Big Dance promises to be a wild one, as the regular season has already produced a ton of chaos, a constantly changing bubble, and unexpected down years from preseason favorites like Kansas, UConn and North Carolina. The tourney will kick off in earnest in the coming days, starting with the First Four (in Dayton, as always) before moving on to first- and second-round action across eight sites, the four regionals and, finally, the Final Four in San Antonio.

But that's this year. What about years to come? Here's where the NCAA Tournament action will take place in the future.

2026 NCAA Tournament locations

The 2026 NCAA Tournament will kick off, as always, with the First Four in Dayton on March 17 and 18. Action will then shift to eight sites around the country for first- and second-round games.

Dates

Site

March 19/21

KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York

March 19/21

Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, South Carolina

March 19/21

Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

March 19/21

Moda Center, Portland, Oregon

March 20/22

Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida

March 20/22

Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

March 20/22

Viejas Arena, San Diego, California

March 20/22

Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri

The eight sites will be split into two groups, with the following four playing games on Thursday and Saturday: Buffalo, New York (at the KeyBank Center); Greenville, South Carolina (at Bon Secours Wellness Arena); Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (at the Paycom Center) and Portland, Oregon (at the Moda Center).

The Friday/Sunday sites will be as follows: Tampa, Florida (At Amalie Arena); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (at the Wells Fargo Center); San Diego, California (At Viejas Arena); and St. Louis, Missouri (at the Enterprise Center).

Regional

Site

Date

South

Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

March 26/28

West

SAP Center, San Jose, California

March 26/28

East

Capital One Center, Washington, D.C.

March 27/29

Midwest

United Center, Chicago, Illinois

March 27/29

Next up is regional action, with the South (the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas) and West (the SAP Center in San Jose, California) regionals taking place on Thursday, March 26, and Saturday, March 28. The Midwest (the United Center in Chicago, Illinois) and East (Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.) regionals will play on Friday, March 27 and Sunday, March 29.

The 2026 Final Four will be held on April 4 and 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

2027 NCAA Tournament locations

Barring tournament expansion, the First Four will take place solely in Dayton in 2027 across March 16 and 17. Opening weekend sites are below.

Dates

Site

March 18/20

PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

March 18/20

CHI Health Center, Omaha, Nebraska

March 18/20

Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas

March 18/20

Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, Spokane, Washington

March 19/21

Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina

March 19/21

Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota

March 19/21

KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Kentucky

March 19/21

Golden One Center, Sacramento, California

The Thursday/Saturday batch of first- and second-round games will be played in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (at PPG Paints Arena); Omaha, Nebraska (at CHI Health Center); Fort Worth, Texas (at Dickies Arena); Spokane, Washington (at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena), while the Friday/Sunday group will be played across Charlotte, North Carolina (at the Spectrum Center); Minneapolis, Minnesota (at the Target Center); Louisville, Kentucky (at the KFC Yum! Center) and Sacramento, California (at the Golden One Center).

Regional

Site

Date

South

Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas

March 25/27

West

Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California

March 25/27

Midwest

T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri

March 26/28

East

Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

March 26/28

Regional action for the 2027 tournament will see the South region (at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas) and West region (at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California) play on Thursday and Saturday of the second weekend. The Midwest region (at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO) and East region (at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York) will be played on Friday and Sunday, with the Final Four scheduled for April 3 and 5 at Ford Field in Detroit.

2028 NCAA Tournament locations

The 2028 NCAA Tournament (again, barring expansion) will start with the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, on March 14 and 15. Sites for each first- and second-round game are below.

Dates

Site

March 16/18

BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma

March 16/18

Kia Center, Orlando, Florida

March 16/18

Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio

March 16/18

Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

March 17/19

Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York

March 17/19

Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa

March 17/19

Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Alabama

March 17/19

Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington

The Thursday/Saturday games will be played in Tulsa, Oklahoma (at the BOK Center); Orlando, Florida (at the Kia Center); Columbus, Ohio (at Nationwide Arena) and Salt Lake City, Utah (at the Delta Center). The Friday/Sunday games will be played in Brooklyn, New York (at the Barclays Center); Des Moines, Iowa (at Wells Fargo Arena); Birmingham, Alabama (at Legacy Arena) and Seattle, Washington (at Climate Pledge Arena).

Regional

Site

Dates

East

Lenovo Center, Raleigh, North Carolina

March 23/25

West

Chase Center, San Francisco, California

March 23/25

South

American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas

March 24/26

Midwest

Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan

March 24/26

Regional action for the 2028 NCAA Tournament will start with the East region (at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina) and West region (at Chase Center in San Francisco, California) on Thursday and Saturday. The South region (at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas) and Midwest region (at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan) will be held on Friday and Sunday, with the Final Four scheduled for April 1 and 3 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Final Four locations for 2029 and beyond

Regional sites aren't set beyond the 2028 NCAA Tournament, but the NCAA does have Final Four sites earmarked for the following three years. The 2029 Final Four will be back in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium, 2030 will see the Final Four back at AT&T Stadium in North Texas, while 2031 will see the Final Four return to Atlanta for the first time since 2013. 

Atlanta's Final Four will take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which was due to host the 2020 Final Four before the COVID-19 pandemic led the NCAA to cancel the entire tournament.