Sports
Men’s NCAA tournament 2026 schedule, locations, bracket announcement date, more
The 2026 men’s NCAA tournament will cap the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season, which tips Nov. 3. By the end, on April 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, a champion will be crowned. Let’s look at the details of how that will happen.
March Madness 2026 begins with the announcement of the 68-team bracket on Selection Sunday (March 15).
The First Four, at UD Arena in Dayton, will consist of eight teams playing for a spot in the opening round on Tuesday, March 17 and Wednesday, March 18.
The round of 64 begins Thursday, March 19, and the round of 32 begins Saturday, March 21. The cities for the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament are: Buffalo, New York; Greenville, South Carolina; Oklahoma City; Portland; Tampa; Philadelphia; San Diego; and St. Louis, Missouri.
The regional semifinals (Sweet 16) and finals (Elite Eight) will take place in Houston (South); San Jose, California (West); Chicago (Midwest); and Washington, D.C. (East).
The Final Four will take place April 4 and 6 in Indianapolis.
Complete dates and venue information for the 2025 Division I men’s NCAA tournament are below.
Meanwhile, bookmark Joe Lunardi’s ESPN Bracketology for projections of the field, including teams considered to be on the bubble. The bracket will be updated every Tuesday during the nonconference portion of the 2025-26 regular season, every Tuesday and Friday during conference play and more frequently during league tournaments — aka Champ Week — in the lead-up to Selection Sunday.
Selection Sunday: March 15
First Four: March 17-18
First round (round of 64): March 19
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KeyBank Center, Buffalo
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Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville
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Paycom Center, Oklahoma City
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Moda Center, Portland
First round (round of 64): March 20
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Amalie Arena, Tampa
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Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia
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Viejas Arena, San Diego
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Enterprise Center, St. Louis
Second round (round of 32): March 21
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KeyBank Center, Buffalo
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Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville
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Paycom Center, Oklahoma City
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Moda Center, Portland
Second round (round of 32): March 22
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Amalie Arena, Tampa
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Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia
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Viejas Arena, San Diego
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Enterprise Center, St. Louis
Sweet 16 (regional semifinals): March 26
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South: Toyota Center, Houston
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West: SAP Center, San Jose
Sweet 16 (regional semifinals): March 27
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Midwest: United Center, Chicago
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East: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
Elite Eight (regional finals): March 28
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South: Toyota Center, Houston
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West: SAP Center, San Jose
Elite Eight (regional finals): March 29
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Midwest: United Center, Chicago
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East: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
Final Four (national semifinals and national championship): April 4, 6
Sports
Transfer rumors, news: Juventus eye move for Chelsea’s Gusto
Juventus are looking at a move for Chelsea defender Malo Gusto, while Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has been linked with Manchester United, but the club’s minority owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has shot that down. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.
Transfers home page | Men’s grades | Women’s grades
TOP STORIES
– Xabi Alonso on Vinícius Junior sub reaction: ‘We’ll talk about it’
– Gabriel Jesus plots Arsenal stay: Arteta ‘eager for my return’
– Lionel Messi extends Inter Miami contract through 2028
TRENDING RUMORS
– Juventus are keeping tabs on Chelsea right back Malo Gusto, according to Calciomercato. The France international is viewed by Juve as a potential alternative to Atlético Madrid‘s Nahuel Molina, whom the club came close to signing back in the summer. With captain Reece James returning to form and fitness in the right back position, the Blues may sanction Gusto’s exit if a suitable offer arrives.
– Manchester United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has blocked a shock move for Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski, reports The Daily Mirror. Lewandowski, 37, is expected to become a free agent next summer, and won’t be short of potential suitors if he does. However, United won’t be among them as things stand, with Ratcliffe keen to “not repeat the mistakes of the past” by signing a player toward the end of his career. The Poland international has scored 73 league goals for Barcelona since joining in 2022 on a free transfer from Bayern Munich.
– Barcelona and Arsenal are set to battle to sign 15-year-old Montpellier striker Lacine Megnan-Pave, according to L’Equipe. Megnan-Pave has caught the eye with his performances for Montpellier’s U19 side, where he has scored twice in five games, and the 6-foot left-footed forward could have a choice to make in the near future. Though Barcelona and their La Masia academy are tipped to get the deal over the line first.
– Bayern Munich are among the clubs considering a bid to sign FC Cologne winger Said El Mala in January, Sky Germany has revealed. El Mala, 19, is under contract at the club until June 2030, so his transfer is valued above the €40 million mark following an electric start to the Bundesliga season. As things stand, Cologne are not willing to entertain January offers that would see the 19-year-old return to the club on loan for the remainder of the season.
– Tottenham Hotspur may look to replace striker Dominic Solanke in the January transfer window, Football Insider reports. The England international hasn’t impressed new Spurs boss Thomas Frank, although his ongoing fitness issues have not helped matters. The club hope to bring in a new forward when the transfer window reopens, with former Brentford star Ivan Toney among those linked in recent weeks.
EXPERT TAKE
1:37
Moreno: Yamal ran his mouth before El Clásico and didn’t perform
ESPN’s Alejandro Moreno believes Lamine Yamal’s El Clásico performance didn’t match his pre-match words.
OTHER RUMORS
– Santos are set to evaluate the technical conditions of extending Neymar‘s contract at the club, according to club president Marcelo Teixeira. (O Globo)
– Bukayo Saka is edging closer to agreeing to a record-breaking new contract with Arsenal. He is set to become the club’s highest-ever paid player, with a salary of over £300,000. (Football Insider)
– Barcelona are yet to decide whether they’ll sanction a loan move for winger Roony Bardghji. Stuttgart were previously in advanced talks to sign the 19-year-old and could be among his suitors if Barca place him on the loan list. (Sky Germany)
– Tottenham are tracking FC Porto striker Samu Aghehowa, 21, but Arsenal, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest are also interested. (Caught Offside)
– Manchester United midfielder Casemiro, 33, looks set to leave for free at the end of the season as the club won’t extend his contract. (Football Insider)
– Roma are interested if Manchester United are willing to sanction a loan deal for forward Joshua Zirkzee. (TBR)
– Tottenham and Manchester United both made £50 million bids to sign Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo in the summer, which were rejected. (Telegraph)
– Out-of-favor Brentford midfielder Fábio Carvalho could return to the Bundesliga in January, and a loan move is being explored. (Sky Germany)
– West Ham United are keen on signing Barcelona wonderkid Pedro “Dro” Fernández in January. (Alan Nixon)
– Aston Villa want to sign winger Morgan Rogers, 23, to a new contract quickly. (Football Insider)
– A Juventus scout was present at Saturday’s match between Udinese and Lecce to monitor midfielder Arthur Atta. The 22-year-old has impressed so far in Serie A this season, with three goal involvements in eight matches to date. (Nicolo Schira)
– AC Milan are planning on signing a center back and a striker in the winter transfer window. (Nicolo Schira)
– Wolverhampton Wanderers insist manager Vítor Pereira is “not under immediate threat” of being sacked, despite the club’s poor start. (TalkSPORT)
– Peterborough United have held talks with former Swansea City manager Luke Williams over the vacant manager’s post. (Sky Sports News)
Sports
Pakistan to keep attacking approach till T20 World Cup: Salman Ali Agha
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said on Monday that the side would stick to its aggressive playing style until the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka in February-March 2026.
After a string of below-par performances in the shortest format, stemming from their dismal T20 World Cup 2024 campaign, the Green Shirts altered their strategy to catch up with the fast-paced nature of modern-day cricket, which saw Agha’s appointment as Pakistan captain, followed by the ouster of senior players like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
The new strategy yielded mixed outcomes for Pakistan, as they won 17 out of 29 matches under Agha’s captaincy.
Pakistan’s most recent appearance in the format came at the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025, where they lost to arch-rivals India thrice, including the final. The continental tournament’s heartbreak forced Pakistan to make tweaks to their pool of players, bringing in the experienced duo of Babar and Naseem Shah.
The return of the experienced players, who were considered to have gone out of favour, gave rise to the speculations of a shift in Pakistan’s ‘strategy’ for the T20Is, but Agha, while addressing the pre-series press conference here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, dismissed them categorically.
The Pakistan captain stressed that the team will stick to their existing strategy, which is to play according to the conditions and in line with the par score of each venue.
“As I said earlier, our strategy is to analyse the stats of each ground we play at and [when we bat] we try to breach the par score. It’s still the same strategy and it will continue until the T20 World Cup,” Agha told reporters on the eve of their three-match home T20I series against South Africa.
“So, we just have to look at the par score of a venue and try to score around 15 runs more than that so that our bowling attack can benefit from it. Similarly, when we bowl first, we try to bowl the opposition out below the par score to support our batting unit,” he explained.
It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan will bolster their preparations for next year’s T20 World Cup with a three-match home series against South Africa, scheduled to get underway here on Tuesday.
The remaining two fixtures of the series, however, will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on October 31 and November 1, respectively.
Pakistan squad for South Africa T20Is
Salman Ali Agha (c), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan (wk) and Usman Tariq.
Sports
NFL’s backup quarterbacks keep proving why they’re backups
The performances by Kirk Cousins, Andy Dalton and Dillon Gabriel among others were tough to stomach during Week 8.
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