The 2026 men’s March Madness tournament ends on Monday, April 6, 2026 , with the national championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Quick Scoop

  • The official end of March Madness is the night of the national championship game, set for April 6, 2026.
  • The Final Four games are played two days earlier, on Saturday, April 4, 2026 , also in Indianapolis.
  • The whole tournament runs from the First Four (March 17–18) through to that title game on April 6.

Full 2026 Men’s March Madness Timeline

  • March 15: Selection Sunday (bracket revealed).
  • March 17–18: First Four.
  • March 19–20: First round.
  • March 21–22: Second round.
  • March 26–27: Sweet 16.
  • March 28–29: Elite Eight.
  • April 4: Final Four.
  • April 6: National Championship (tournament end).

HTML table version

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Stage</th>
      <th>2026 Dates</th>
      <th>Key Note</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Selection Sunday</td>
      <td>March 15, 2026</td>
      <td>Bracket revealed [web:1][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>First Four</td>
      <td>March 17–18, 2026</td>
      <td>Opening games in Dayton [web:1][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>First Round</td>
      <td>March 19–20, 2026</td>
      <td>Field cut from 64 to 32 [web:1][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Second Round</td>
      <td>March 21–22, 2026</td>
      <td>32 down to 16 (Sweet 16 set) [web:1][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Sweet 16</td>
      <td>March 26–27, 2026</td>
      <td>16 down to 8 [web:1][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Elite Eight</td>
      <td>March 28–29, 2026</td>
      <td>Final Four decided [web:1][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Final Four</td>
      <td>April 4, 2026</td>
      <td>National semifinals in Indianapolis [web:1][web:3][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>National Championship</td>
      <td>April 6, 2026</td>
      <td>March Madness officially ends [web:1][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Little storyline angle

Every year, March Madness builds from hopeful bubble teams on Selection Sunday to that final Monday night when one squad cuts down the nets and the confetti falls. In 2026, that moment—and the answer to “when does March Madness end?”—lands on the night of April 6 in Indianapolis, when the last buzzer sounds and a new champion is crowned.

TL;DR: March Madness 2026 ends on April 6, 2026, with the national championship game.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.