When to watch the Final Four
- Friday, April 3 (women's)
- Saturday, April 4 (men's)
Where to watch
- The men's Final Four will be broadcast across TNT, TBS and truTV and streams on HBO Max.
- The women's Final Four will be broadcast on ESPN and streams on ESPN Unlimited.
NCAA March Madness has reached it's final week. At the men's tournament, the No. 1 seed Florida Gators were knocked out of the competition by No. 9 Iowa, which means they won't be snagging a second consecutive championship title this year. No. 1 seed Duke also fell to No. 2 UConn during their Elite Eight game, where UConn's Braylon Mullins hit a history-making three-point buzzer-beater to win the game. That means the teams headed to the Final Four are Illinois, Duke, Michigan and Arizona. In the women's tournament, defending champion and No. 1 seed UConn is still in it to win it, and the entire Final Four consists of No. 1 seeds: Texas, South Carolina and UCLA round out the remaining teams.
The men's Final Four begins Saturday, and games will be spread across TNT, TBS and TruTV. It will stream on HBO Max. The women's Final Four games are Friday, airing on ESPN and streaming on ESPN Unlimited.
Here's a breakdown of every team that's playing, how to watch the Final Four and everything else you need to know.
When is March Madness 2026?
March Madness 2026 began on March 17. The women's Final Four games are on April 3, and the championship final is scheduled for Sunday, April 5. The men's Final Four games are April 4 and the championship game is on Monday, April 6.
Watch March Madness without cable
Women's Final Four games are available on ESPN and stream on ESPN Unlimited. Men's Final Four games will be simulcast on TNT, TBS, and truTV and stream on HBO Max.
ESPN Unlimited is ESPN's comprehensive, standalone streaming service. For $30 per month, you can watch every women's March Madness game all in one place. Read our review of ESPN Unlimited.
With HBO Max, you can stream 46 games in the men's March Madness tournament, including the Final Four and the Championship Final. And with HBO Max's multiview experience, you can stream up to three matchups simultaneously. Live sports are only available on HBO Max's Standard ($18.50 per month) and Premium ($23 a month) plans.
You'll be able to watch select games from the First Round to the Elite Eight live on CBS, which streams on Paramount Plus Premium and costs $14 a month.
Watch March Madness with a live TV streaming service
Don't want to subscribe to multiple streaming services to watch March Madness? That's understandable. There are a few live TV streaming services where you can watch most or all of the men's and women's tournaments all in one place. Each of them offers a free trial.
The men's games will be on CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV, and women's games will be carried across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNews. With a subscription to DirecTV, Hulu Plus Live TV or YouTube TV, you can watch every channel that's broadcasting the men's and women's tournaments.
We'll note that Fubo offers major sporting events and even includes access to ESPN Unlimited. It doesn't carry TBS, TNT or TruTV, making it a less ideal option for watching the men's tournament.
YouTube TV costs $83 per month and includes CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV for the men's tournament and ESPN's suite of channels for the women's tournament. Right now, you can sign up for YouTube TV and get your first two months for $60/month, and there is a free 21-day trial.
Not every local channel is available in every market, so you'll need to make sure the networks broadcasting the 2026 tournament are offered in your area. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to see which local networks you get.
Hulu with Live TV costs $90 a month and features every channel you need to watch both March Madness tournaments. On its live news page, you can enter your ZIP code under the "Can I watch local news in my area?" question at the bottom of the page to see which local channels you get.
DirecTV's MySports package costs $70 a month and includes ABC, CBS, ESPN Unlimited, TBS, TNT and TruTV, which means it's one of the most comprehensive places to watch every March Madness game. Use the channel lookup tool to see which local channels are available where you live. Read our DirecTV MySports review.
Fubo's sports package costs $46 for your first month after the free trial. Like the primary Fubo packages, it offers ABC, CBS and a subscription to ESPN Unlimited. Fubo's Pro plan costs $74 a month and includes ABC, CBS and access to ESPN Unlimited. Fubo is currently offering the first month for $49 on the Pro plan. Click here to see which local channels you get.
Read our Fubo review.
For more, check out our live TV streaming services guide and our recommendations for the best sports streaming services.
March Madness tournament schedule:
Men's March Madness schedule
- First Four: Tuesday-Wednesday
- First round: Thursday-Friday
- Second round: Saturday-Sunday
- Sweet 16: March 26-27
- Elite Eight: March 28-29
- Final Four: April 4
- NCAA championship game: April 6, 8:30 p.m. ET (TBS)
Women's March Madness schedule
- First Four: Wednesday-Thursday
- First round: Friday-Saturday
- Second round: Sunday-Monday
- Sweet 16: March 27-28
- Elite Eight: March 29-30
- Final Four: April 3 at 7 p.m. ET (Second semifinal starts 30 minutes after the first game ends.)
- NCAA championship game: April 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
March Madness men's individual game schedule:
All times Eastern. For completed games, the winning team is in bold.
Final Four
Saturday, April 4
- 6:09 pm.: No. 2 UConn vs. No. 3 Illinois (TNT, TBS, truTV)
- 9 p.m.: No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 1 Arizona (TNT, TBS, truTV)
March Madness women's individual game schedule:
All times Eastern.
Final Four
Friday, April 3
- 7 p.m.: No. 1 UConn vs. No. 1 South Carolina (ESPN)
- 9:30 p.m.: No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 1 Texas (ESPN)
