The “Sweet 16” for this year’s men’s NCAA March Madness is scheduled for Thursday, March 26, 2026 and Friday, March 27, 2026.

Since you’re asking “whens the sweet 16,” you’re almost certainly referring to that NCAA Tournament round where the final 16 college teams play for spots in the Elite Eight. Those games are played at regional sites across the U.S. over those two nights before the Elite Eight that weekend.

So if you’re trying to clear your calendar: block out the evenings of March 26–27, 2026.

At a high level, the schedule around it looks like this (all 2026):

  • Sweet 16: March 26–27
  • Elite Eight: March 28–29
  • Final Four: April 4
  • National Championship: April 6

If you meant a different “sweet 16” (like a birthday party or a high school state tournament), that usually just happens on someone’s actual 16th birthday or on dates set by that state’s association.