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NCAA to Expand March Madness to 76 Teams per Tournament Starting Next Season
The NCAA will add eight teams to both the men's and women's brackets, increasing the First Four to 12 games involving 24 teams. The change, the first in 15 years, directs most new slots to power conferences amid recent dominance by the SEC and Big Ten. Conferences stand to gain from additional units worth about $350,000 each in the men's tournament.
May 7, 4:20 PM·1m read1 source
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The NCAA announced on May 7, 2026, that it will expand its men's and women's March Madness tournaments by eight teams each starting next season. This marks the first expansion in 15 years since the tournaments were increased to 68 teams in 2011.
The new 76-team brackets will include eight extra games for a total of 12 games involving 24 teams in the First Four. The 12 winners from the expanded First Four will advance into the main 64-team bracket. That main bracket begins on Thursday for the men's tournament and Friday for the women's tournament.
Most of the eight new slots are expected to go to teams in the power conferences. The SEC placed a record 14 teams in the men's bracket two years ago. The Big Ten had nine teams in the men's bracket last season.
No mid-major team advanced past the first weekend of either the men's or women's tournament in the last two seasons. ” Conferences earn units worth about $350,000 per unit for the men's tournament. The Big Ten made nearly $70 million from both tournaments last season.
Michigan won the men's tournament and UCLA won the women's tournament last season. 8 billion and runs through 2032. Leaders in the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC have acknowledged that smaller teams help make March Madness what it is while expanding their own influence in NCAA decision-making.
The current bracket format with six rounds began in 1985. The ACC has grown from nine to 17 teams since 1996. The expansion comes as mid-major schools lose top players to programs with bigger budgets and revenue-sharing capabilities.
