2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
| Season | 2025–26 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 68 | ||||
| Finals site | Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. | ||||
| |||||
The 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament will involve 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the NCAA Division I men's college basketball national champion for the 2025–26 season. The 87th edition of the tournament began on March 17 and will conclude with the championship game on April 6, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Atlantic Sun champion Queens and WAC champion California Baptist will make their tournament debuts. Queens qualified in its first year of eligibility, becoming only the fifth school since 1972 to achieve the feat.
Ohio Valley champion Tennessee State will make its third-ever appearance, its first since 1994, while Big Sky champion Idaho will make its first appearance since 1990. Coastal Athletic champion Hofstra will make its first appearance since 2001. MAC champion Akron and Southland champion McNeese will each make their third consecutive tournament appearance.
For the first time since 2022 there will be a Philadelphia Big 5 school in the tournament. Teams from 33 U.S. states and the District of Columbia will participate.