How new March Madness bracket will look with 76 teams, how opening round will work

The NCAA formally approved expanding the men's and women's Division I basketball tournaments to 76 teams on Thursday, May 7.

Starting in 2027, March Madness will get even madder.

The new opening round will grow from eight teams to 24, be played Tuesday/Wednesday prior to the first round for men and Wednesday/Thursday for women and feature at-large teams and automatic qualifiers.

Where will new NCAA Tournament opening round games be played?

• Men's: March 16-17, 2027 (three games each day in Dayton, Ohio)
• Men's: March 16-17, 2027 (three games each day in second city to be announced)
• Women's: March 17-18, 2027 (six games a day on campuses of 12 of the top 16 seeds selected to host)

New March Madness bracket opening round games format

• No. 11 vs. No. 11
• No. 11 vs. No. 11
• No. 12 vs. No. 12
• No. 12 vs. No. 12
• No. 12 vs. No. 12
• No. 12 vs. No. 12
• No. 15 vs. No. 15
• No. 15 vs. No. 15
• No. 16 vs. No. 16
• No. 16 vs. No. 16
• No. 16 vs. No. 16
• No. 16 vs. No. 16

How many teams are in March Madness?

The men's and women's basketball tournaments are expanding from 68 teams to 76, starting with the 2027 tournaments.