NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments expanding to 76 teams in 2027
March Madness just keeps getting bigger. As to whether or not that makes it better remains to be seen. As first reported by Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, both the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball selection committees approved the move to include 76 teams on Thursday.
The motion was ratified by the basketball oversight committees and the…
Credit: NCAA March Madness just keeps getting bigger. As to whether or not that makes it better remains to be seen. As first reported by Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, both the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball selection committees approved the move to include 76 teams on Thursday.
The motion was ratified by the basketball oversight committees and the DI Board of Directors and Board of Governors, making it official. The expansion of the NCAA basketball tournaments has now been formally adopted, sources tell @YahooSports . The DI Board of Directors and Board of Governors have approved the move to 76 teams and the NCAA has formalized the agreement with its TV partners.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) May 7, 2026 The long-expected move adds eight additional at-large teams to each tournament. Eight opening-round games will be paired with the current First Four, with participating teams split between the lowest-seeded automatic-qualifier bids and at-large bids. Six of those games will be played in Dayton, while the other six will be played at yet-to-be-determined sites.