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How to buy San Diego March Madness NCAA basketball tickets

USA TODAY

March 16, 2026Updated March 18, 2026, 11:53 a.m. ET

The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, known as March Madness, has begun, with games already underway.
Eight teams will travel to San Diego for the first and second rounds of the tournament, which are scheduled for Friday, March 20 and Sunday, March 22.
Tickets for the San Diego games are available in various packages, including single sessions and all-session passes.

March Madness is descending upon the always-beautiful beach city of San Diego. While games will take place at Viejas Arena starting Friday, March 20, the San Diego State Aztecs did not make the tournament for the first time since 2019.

SHOP: San Diego March Madness tickets

Eight teams are traveling to San Diego for the first round and second round of the NCAA Tournament, none of which were reliant on the First Four games. The San Diego matchups have been set since the Selection Sunday bracket reveal.

Here is everything you need to know in order to buy March Madness tickets in San Diego.

San Diego NCAA Tournament First & Second Round tickets

Get your tickets to the First and Second Round games in San Diego. Shop San Diego March Madness tickets

San Diego March Madness tickets

Tickets for the first and second rounds are already available. Tickets are sold in packages, either for Friday evening, Sunday evening, or a pass to all the NCAA Tournament games in San Diego.

San Diego Friday afternoon March Madness tickets

Tickets for Session 1 include tickets to No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 16 Long Island and No. 8 Villanova vs. No. 9 Utah State on Friday afternoon. Session 1 tickets are starting at $122.

San Diego Friday night March Madness tickets

Tickets for Session 2 include tickets to No. 5 St. John's vs. No. 12 Northern Iowa and No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 13 Cal Baptist on Friday evening. Session 2 tickets are starting at $120.

San Diego second round Sunday tickets

The matchups for the Round of 32 games in San Diego are not yet known. But Session 3 tickets are already available and starting at $243.

San Diego All-Session tickets

If you want to see all the games in San Diego, an all-access pass gets you the same lower-level seat for all six games. San Diego March Madness passes start at $483.

Shop San Diego March Madness all-sessions pass

San Diego March Madness teams

The following eight teams will play in San Diego on Friday afternoon and evening. The winners will advance to the Round of 32 and play their second-round games on Sunday, March 22.

No. 1 Arizona - Shop tickets
No. 4 Kansas - Shop tickets
No. 5 St. John's - Shop tickets
No. 8 Villanova - Shop tickets
No. 9 Utah State - Shop tickets
No. 12 Northern Iowa - Shop tickets
No. 13 Cal Baptist - Shop tickets
No. 16 Long Island - Shop tickets

Where to stay in San Diego for March Madness basketball

San Diego March Madness schedule

The First Round games will take place on Friday, March 20, with Second Round games taking place on Sunday, March 22. Here are the scheduled tipoff times for the March Madness games in San Diego:

No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 16 Long Island - Friday, March 20 at 1:45 p.m. ET - Shop tickets
No. 8 Villanova vs. No. 9 Utah State - Friday, March 20 at 4:10 p.m. ET - Shop tickets
No. 5 St. John's vs. No. 12 Northern Iowa - Friday, March 20 at 7:10 p.m. ET - Shop tickets
No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 13 Cal Baptist - Friday, March 20 at 9:45 p.m. ET - Shop tickets

Where to stay in San Diego for March Madness

Where to stay near Viejas Arena in SD

Viejas Arena in San Diego will host first and second round games in the NCAA tournament, stay nearby: Find a hotel in San Diego

When does March Madness start?

See below for the entire schedule for the men's NCAA Tournament:

First Four: March 17-18
Round of 64: March 19-20
Round of 32: March 21-22
Sweet 16: March 26-27
Elite 8: March 28-29
Final Four:April 4
National Championship: April 6

Shop ALL March Madness tickets

March Madness Round of 64 schedule

Thursday, March 19 - No. 9 TCU vs. No. 8 Ohio State - Get tickets now
Thursday, March 19 - No. 13 Troy vs. No. 4 Nebraska - Get tickets now
Thursday, March 19 - No. 11 USF vs. No. 6 Louisville - Get tickets now
Thursday, March 19 - No. 12 High Point vs. No. 5 Wisconsin - Get tickets now
Thursday, March 19 - No. 16 Siena vs. No. 1 Duke - Get tickets now
Thursday, March 19 - No. 12 McNeese vs. No. 5 Vanderbilt - Get tickets now
Thursday, March 19 - No. 14 North Dakota State vs. No. 3 Michigan State - Get tickets now
Thursday, March 19 - No. 13 Hawaii vs. No. 4 Arkansas - Get tickets now
Thursday, March 19 - No. 11 VCU vs. No. 6 North Carolina - Get tickets now
Thursday, March 19 - No. 16 Howard vs. No. 1 Michigan - Get tickets now
Thursday, March 19 - No. 11 Texas vs. No. 6 BYU - Get tickets now
Thursday, March 19 - No. 10 Texas A&M vs. No. 7 St. Mary's - Get tickets now
Thursday, March 19 - No. 14 Pennsylvania vs. No. 3 Illinois - Get tickets now
Thursday, March 19 - No. 9 St. Louis vs. No. 8 Georgia - Get tickets now
Thursday, March 19 - No. 14 Kennesaw State vs. No. 3 Gonzaga - Get tickets now
Thursday, March 19 - No. 15 Idaho vs. No. 2 Houston - Get tickets now
Friday, March 20 - No. 10 Santa Clara vs. No. 7 Kentucky - Get tickets now
Friday, March 20 - No. 12 Akron vs. No. 5 Texas Tech - Get tickets now
Friday, March 20 - No. 16 Long Island University vs. No. 1 Arizona - Get tickets now
Friday, March 20 - No. 14 Wright State vs. No. 3 Virginia - Get tickets now
Friday, March 20 - No. 15 Tennessee State vs. No. 2 Iowa State - Get tickets now
Friday, March 20 - No. 13 Hofstra vs. No. 4 Alabama - Get tickets now
Friday, March 20 - No. 9 Utah State vs. No. 8 Villanova - Get tickets now
Friday, March 20 - Miami (OH)/SMU vs. No. 6 Tennessee - Get tickets now
Friday, March 20 - No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 8 Clemson - Get tickets now
Friday, March 20 - No. 12 Northern Iowa vs. No. 5 St. John's - Get tickets now
Friday, March 20 - No. 10 UCF vs. No. 7 UCLA - Get tickets now
Friday, March 20 - No. 15 Queens University vs. No. 2 Purdue - Get tickets now
Friday, March 20 - Prairie View/Lehigh vs. No. 1 Florida - Get tickets now
Friday, March 20 - No. 13 Cal Baptist vs. No. 4 Kansas - Get tickets now
Friday, March 20 - No. 15 Furman vs. No. 2 UConn - Get tickets now
Friday, March 20 - No. 10 Missouri vs. No. 7 Miami - Get tickets now

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