March Madness 2026: How to Watch the First Four

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When to watch the First Four

Wednesday and Thursday (women’s)
Tuesday and Wednesday (men’s)

Where to watch

The men’s First Four will be broadcast on TruTV and stream on HBO Max.
The women’s First Four games will be broadcast on ESPN2 and stream on ESPN Unlimited.

It’s almost time for NCAA March Madness. 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 and women’s tournaments both begin with the First Four, a series of games that will narrow the field from 68 to 64. If you want to watch this year’s First Four, every men’s game will air on TruTV and stream on HBO Max. The women’s First Four will air on ESPN2. After that, the brackets will be set, but prepare for a hectic weekend with more than 60 games in the men’s and women’s first rounds.

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

When does March Madness 2026 start?

March Madness 2026 officially begins on Tuesday with the men’s First Four games. The women’s First Four will begin on Wednesday.

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.

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.

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.

First Four:

Tuesday

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

Wednesday

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

First Round:

Thursday

12:15 p.m.: No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 TCU (CBS)
12:40 p.m.: No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 13 Troy (TruTV)
1:30 p.m.: No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 South Florida (TNT)
1:50 p.m.: No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 High Point (TBS)
2:50 p.m.: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 Siena (CBS)
3:15 p.m.: No. 5 Vanderbilt vs. No. 12 McNeese (TruTV)
4:05 p.m.: No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 14 North Dakota State
4:25 p.m.: No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 13 Hawaii (TBS)
6:50 p.m.: No. 6 North Carolina vs. No. 11 VCU (TNT)
7:10 p.m.: No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 UMBC or Howard (CBS)
7:25 p.m.: No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Texas or NC State (TBS)
7:35 p.m.: No. 7 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 10 Texas A&M (TruTV)
9:25 p.m.: No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 14 Penn (TNT)
9:45 p.m.: No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Saint Louis (CBS)
10 p.m.: No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 14 Kennesaw State (TBS)
10:10 p.m.: No. 2 Houston vs. 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: