March Madness 2026: How to Watch the First Round

When to watch the First Round

• Friday and Saturday, March 20 to 21 (women's)
• Thursday and Friday, March 19 to 20 (men's)

Where to watch 

• The men's First Round will be broadcast across CBS, TNT, TBS and TruTV and streams on HBO Max.
• The women's First Round games will be broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews and streams on ESPN Unlimited.

• March Madness 2026: How to Watch the First Round
• When is March Madness 2026?
• Watch March Madness without cable
• Watch March Madness with a live TV streaming service
• March Madness tournament schedule:
• March Madness men's individual game schedule:
• March Madness women's individual game schedule:

NCAA March Madness is here! It's been almost a year since the Florida Gators won the men's basketball championship and the UConn Huskies earned the women's title, and both teams have snagged top seeds at the 2026 NCAA tournament, too. The Gators find themselves sharing the No. 1 spot with Duke, Michigan and Arizona, while the women's Huskies are joined by Texas, South Carolina and UCLA in the top four. 

The men's First Round is already underway and there are upsets aplenty after the first day, with teams like BYU, UNC and Wisconsin already eliminated (my bracket is pure chaos now, how does yours look?) and the First Round of the women's tournament starts Friday. The men's First Round games will be spread across CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV and will stream on HBO Max or Paramount Plus. The women's First Round airs on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNews and streams on ESPN Unlimited.

Here's a breakdown of every team that's playing, how to watch and everything else you need to know.

When is March Madness 2026?

March Madness 2026 officially began on Tuesday, March 17, with the men's First Four games. The women's First Four took place on Wednesday, March 18 and Thursday, March 19. Games will run through the rest of March and into early April; the women's championship final is scheduled for April 5, the men's for April 6.

Watch March Madness without cable

Women's March Madness games will air across ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNews. Every First Four game of the women's tournament will be broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPN Unlimited. Men's March Madness games will be split between TNT, TBS, truTV and CBS. You can catch every men's First Four game on TruTV via HBO Max.

ESPN

ESPN Unlimited is ESPN's comprehensive, standalone streaming service. For $30 per month, you can watch every women's March Madness game all in one place. Read our review of ESPN Unlimited.

Zooey Liao/CNET

With HBO Max, you can stream 46 games in the men's March Madness tournament, including the Final Four and the Championship Final. And with HBO Max's multiview experience, you can stream up to three matchups simultaneously. Live sports are only available on HBO Max's Standard ($18.50 per month) and Premium ($23 a month) plans.

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You'll be able to watch select games from the First Round to the Elite Eight live on CBS, which streams on Paramount Plus Premium. A subscription typically costs $14 a month, but now through March 31, new customers and select returning customers can get their first two months for just $3 a month.

Watch March Madness with a live TV streaming service

Don't want to subscribe to multiple streaming services to watch March Madness? That's understandable. There are a few live TV streaming services where you can watch most or all of the men's and women's tournaments all in one place. Each of them offers a free trial. 

The men's games will be on TBS, TNT, TruTV and CBS, and women's games will be carried across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNews. With a subscription to YouTube TV, DirecTV or Hulu Plus Live TV, you can watch every channel that's broadcasting the men's and women's tournaments.

We'll note that Fubo offers major sporting events and even includes access to ESPN Unlimited, it doesn't carry TBS, TNT or TruTV, making it a less ideal option for watching the men's tournament.

James Martin/CNET

YouTube TV costs $83 per month and includes TBS, TNT, truTV and CBS for the men's tournament and ESPN's suite of channels for the women's tournament. Right now, you can sign up for YouTube TV and get your first two months for $60/month, and there is a free 21-day trial.

Not every local channel is available in every market, so you'll need to make sure the networks broadcasting the 2026 tournament are offered in your area. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to see which local networks you get.

Read our YouTube TV review.

James Martin/CNET

Hulu with Live TV costs $90 a month and features every channel you need to watch both March Madness tournaments. On its live news page, you can enter your ZIP code under the "Can I watch local news in my area?" question at the bottom of the page to see which local channels you get.

Read our Hulu with Live TV review.

James Martin/CNET

DirecTV's MySports package costs $70 a month and includes ABC, CBS, TBS, TNT, TruTV and ESPN Unlimited, which means it's one of the most comprehensive places to watch every March Madness game. Use the channel lookup tool to see which local channels are available where you live. Read our DirecTV MySports review.

Fubo

Fubo's sports package costs $46 for your first month after the free trial. Like the primary Fubo packages, it offers ABC, CBS and a subscription to ESPN Unlimited. Fubo's Pro plan costs $74 a month and includes ABC, CBS and access to ESPN Unlimited. Fubo is currently offering the first month for $49 on the Pro plan. Click here to see which local channels you get. 
Read our Fubo review.

For more, check out our live TV streaming services guide and our recommendations for the best sports streaming services.

March Madness tournament schedule:

Men's March Madness schedule

• First Four: Tuesday-Wednesday
• First Round: Thursday-Friday
• Second Round: Saturday-Sunday
• Sweet 16: March 26-27
• Elite Eight: March 28-29
• Final Four: April 4
• National Championship: April 6, 8:30 p.m. ET (TBS)

Women's March Madness schedule

• First Four: Wednesday-Thursday
• First round: Friday-Saturday
• Second round: Sunday-Monday
• Sweet 16: March 27-28
• Elite Eight: March 29-30
• Final Four: April 3 at 7 p.m. ET (Second semifinal starts 30 minutes after the first game ends.)
• NCAA championship game: April 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)

March Madness men's individual game schedule:

All times Eastern. For completed games, the winning team is in bold. 

First Four:

Tuesday

• 6:40 p.m.: No. 16 UMBC (83) vs. (86) No. 16 Howard (TruTV)
• 9:10 p.m.: No. 11 Texas (68) vs. (66) No. 11 NC State (TruTV)

Wednesday

• 6:40 p.m.: No. 16 Prairie View A&M (67) vs. (55) No. 16 Lehigh (TruTV)
• 9:10 p.m.: No. 11 Miami (Ohio) (89) vs. (79) No. 11 SMU (TruTV)

First Round:

Thursday

• 12:15 p.m.: No. 8 Ohio State (64) vs. (66) No. 9 TCU (CBS)
• 12:40 p.m.: No. 4 Nebraska (76) vs. (47) No. 13 Troy (TruTV)
• 1:30 p.m.: No. 6 Louisville (83) vs. (79) No. 11 South Florida (TNT)
• 1:50 p.m.: No. 5 Wisconsin (82) vs. (83) No. 12 High Point (TBS)
• 2:50 p.m.: No. 1 Duke (71) vs. (65) No. 16 Siena (CBS)
• 3:15 p.m.: No. 5 Vanderbilt (78) vs. (68) No. 12 McNeese (TruTV)
• 4:05 p.m.: No. 3 Michigan State (92) vs. (67) No. 14 North Dakota State
• 4:25 p.m.: No. 4 Arkansas (97) vs. (78) No. 13 Hawaii (TBS)
• 6:50 p.m.: No. 6 North Carolina (78) vs. (82) No. 11 VCU (TNT)
• 7:10 p.m.: No. 1 Michigan (101) vs. (80) No. 16 Howard (CBS)
• 7:25 p.m.: No. 6 BYU (71) vs. (79) No. 11 Texas (TBS)
• 7:35 p.m.: No. 7 Saint Mary's (50) vs. (63) No. 10 Texas A&M (TruTV)
• 9:25 p.m.: No. 3 Illinois (105) vs. (70) No. 14 Penn (TNT)
• 9:45 p.m.: No. 8 Georgia (77) vs. (102) No. 9 Saint Louis (CBS)
• 10 p.m.: No. 3 Gonzaga (73) vs. (64) No. 14 Kennesaw State (TBS)
• 10:10 p.m.: No. 2 Houston (78) vs. (47) No. 15 Idaho (TruTV)

Friday

• 12:15 p.m.: No. 7 Kentucky vs. No. 10 Santa Clara (CBS)
• 12:40 p.m.: No. 5 Texas Tech vs. No. 12 Akron (TruTV)
• 1:35 p.m.: No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 16 LIU (TNT)
• 1:50 p.m.: No. 3 Virginia vs. No. 14 Wright State (TBS)
• 2:50 p.m.: No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 15 Tennessee State (CBS)
• 3:15 p.m.: No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 13 Hofstra (TruTV)
• 4:10 p.m.: No. 8 Villanova vs. No. 9 Utah State (TNT)
• 4:25 p.m.: No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Miami (Ohio) or SMU (TBS)
• 6:50 p.m.: No. 8 Clemson vs. No. 9 Iowa (TNT)
• 7:10 p.m.: No. 5 St. John's vs. No. 12 Northern Iowa (CBS)
• 7:25 p.m.: No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 UCF (TBS)
• 7:35 p.m.: No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 15 Queens (TruTV)
• 9:25 p.m.: No. 16 Prairie View A&M or Lehigh vs. No. 1 Florida (TNT)
• 9:45 p.m.: No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 13 Cal Baptist (CBS)
• 10 p.m.: No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Furman (TBS)
• 10:10 p.m.: No. 7 Miami vs. No. 10 Missouri (TruTV)

March Madness women's individual game schedule:

All times Eastern.

First Four:

Wednesday

• 7 p.m.: No. 11 Nebraska (75) vs. (56) No. 11 Richmond (ESPN2)

• 9 p.m.: No. 16 Stephen F. Austin (75) vs. (85) No. 16 Missouri State (ESPN2)

Thursday

• 7 p.m.: No. 16 Samford (53) vs. (65) No. 16 Southern (ESPN2)

• 9 p.m.: No. 10 Virginia (57) vs. (55) No. 10 Arizona State (ESPN2)

First Round:

Friday

• 11:30 a.m.: No. 3 Duke vs. No. 14 Charleston (ESPN2)
• 12 p.m.: No. 3 TCU vs. No. 14 UC San Diego (ESPN)
• 1:30 p.m. ET: No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 9 Virginia Tech (ESPN2)
• 2 p.m.: No. 6 Baylor vs. No. 11 Nebraska/Richmond (ESPN)
• 2:30 p.m.: No. 6 Washington vs. No. 11 South Dakota State (ESPN News)
• 3 p.m.: No. 5 Maryland vs. No. 12 Murray State (ESPNU)
• 3:30 p.m.: No. 5 Ole Miss vs. No. 12 Gonzaga (ESPN2)
• 4 p.m.: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 16 Stephen F. Austin/Missouri State (ESPN)
• 5:30 p.m.: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 15 Holy Cross (ESPN2)
• 5:30 p.m.: No. 4 North Carolina vs. No. 13 Western Illinois (ESPN News)
• 6 p.m.: No. 2 LSU vs. No. 15 Jacksonville (ESPN)
• 6 p.m.: No. 4 Minnesota vs. No. 13 Green Bay (ESPNU)
• 7:30 p.m.: No. 5 Michigan State vs. No. 12 Colorado State (ESPN News)
• 8 p.m.: No. 7 NC State vs. No. 10 Tennessee (ESPN)
• 8:30 p.m.: No. 7 Texas Tech vs. No. 10 Villanova (ESPNU)
• 10 p.m.: No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 13 Idaho (ESPN)

Saturday

• 11:30 p.m.: No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 14 Howard (ESPN2)
• 12 p.m.: No. 3 Louisville vs. No. 14 Vermont (ESPN)
• 1 p.m.: No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 16 Samford/Southern (ABC)
• 1:30 p.m.: No. 7 Georgia vs. No. 10 Virginia/Arizona State (ESPN2)
• 2 p.m.: No. 6 Notre Dame vs. No. 11 Fairfield (ESPN)
• 2:30 p.m.: No. 5 Kentucky vs. No. 12 James Madison (ESPNU)
• 2:30 p.m.: No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 11 Rhode Island (ESPN News)
• 3 p.m.: No. 1 UConn vs. No. 16 UTSA (ABC)
• 3:30 p.m.: No. 8 Clemson vs. No. 9 USC (ESPN2)
• 4 p.m.: No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 15 Fairleigh Dickinson (ESPN)
• 5 p.m.: No. 4 West Virginia vs. No. 13 Miami (Ohio) (ESPNU)
• 5:30 p.m.: No. 8 Iowa State vs. No. 9 Syracuse (ESPN2)
• 7 p.m.: No. 2 Vanderbilt vs. No. 15 High Point (ESPN News)
• 7:30 p.m.: No. 8 Oklahoma State vs. No. 9 Princeton (ESPN2)
• 9:30 p.m.: No. 7 Illinois vs. No. 10 Colorado (ESPN2)
• 10 p.m.: No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 16 California Baptist (ESPN)