US Trends

when do brackets open for march madness

Brackets for March Madness open as soon as the official NCAA tournament field is revealed on Selection Sunday , which in 2026 is Sunday, March 15, at 6 p.m. ET. Most major sites (ESPN, CBS, Yahoo, etc.) will have their bracket games live shortly after that show ends, so you can start filling them out that evening.

Quick Scoop

  • For 2026, the men’s March Madness bracket is revealed on Sunday, March 15, 6 p.m. ET on CBS.
  • Bracket challenges typically “open” right after the Selection Sunday show once all 68 teams and seeds are set.
  • Brackets usually close just before the first Round of 64 game tips on Thursday, March 19 (First Four games are earlier, March 17–18, but most pools lock at the start of Thursday’s games).

Key dates for 2026 (men’s tournament)

  • Selection Sunday / brackets go live: Sunday, March 15, 6 p.m. ET.
  • First Four: March 17–18 in Dayton, Ohio.
  • First round (when most brackets need to be locked): March 19–20.

Think of it this way: the moment the Selection Show ends on March 15, the bracket “exists” and you can start making your picks, but you need them submitted before Thursday’s first-round tip-off on March 19.

Tiny example

If you’re playing on a big site like ESPN or CBS, you’ll be able to:

  1. Log in right after Selection Sunday on March 15.
  2. Join or create a group that night or over the next few days.
  3. Make sure all picks are finalized before games start on March 19, or your entry will lock with whatever you’ve picked so far.

TL;DR: Brackets open right after the Selection Sunday show on March 15, 2026, and you should plan to have them filled out before the Round of 64 starts on March 19. Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.