Decision Made on NCAA Tournament Expansion for 2026

Go ahead and exhale, college basketball fans. The NCAA Tournament will not be expanding past 68 teams, at least for the upcoming season.

On Monday, NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt revealed that expansion for the 2026 NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments is no longer being considered. However, future expansion is still on the table.

“Expanding the tournament fields is no longer being contemplated for the 2026 men’s and women’s basketball championships,” Gavitt said in a statement. “However, the committees will continue conversations on whether to recommend expanding to 72 or 76 teams in advance of the 2027 championships.”

Despite criticism from college basketball fans, the NCAA has strongly considered expanding the March Madness field from 68 teams to either 72 or 76 teams. The last team the tournament expanded was in 2011, when it moved from 65 teams to 68.