NCAA March Madness: More Men’s, Women’s Teams, Ads, Revenue In ’27
Thursday, May 7, 2026 at 01:34PM By Barry Janoff
May 7, 2026: Calling it “the right decision for the student-athletes and programs that will now have access to the greatest events in college sports,” the fields of the Div. I Men's and Women's Basketball Championships will increase from 68 teams to 76 starting in 2027.
The NCAA said the move will create “additional championship participation opportunities for student-athletes and more exciting matchups for fans.”
The NCAA said it would provide “additional financial support to participating schools, increasing the dollars available to both basketball programs and, through revenue-sharing, basketball student-athletes.”
The expansion and financial increase were approved by the Div. I Men's and Women's Basketball Committees, the Div. I Men's and Women's Basketball Oversight Committees, the Div. I Finance Committee, the Div. I Board of Directors and the NCAA Board of Governors.
This will be the first time the men's tournament has expanded since 2011 and the first time the women's tournament has expanded since 2022.
The NCAA said the “additional bids mean 21% of teams have a spot in the NCAA's basketball postseason. Before expansion, championship access for basketball teams was at 18%, the lowest among major team sports.”
"Expanding the Div. I Men's and Women's Basketball Championships is the right decision for the student-athletes and programs that will now have access to the greatest events in college sports," Tim Sands, Board of Directors chair and president at Virginia Tech, said via the NCAA.
"As NCAA leaders, we are especially excited to provide additional, highly competitive games for fans who look forward to March Madness every year."
Said Amanda Braun, Div. I Women's Basketball Committee chair and AD at Milwaukee via the NCAA, “The growth of women's basketball has been phenomenal in recent years, and we are pleased to be able to offer additional opportunities to the student-athletes and teams that earn them.
"The committees took our charge seriously, and we believe this is responsible stewardship of the championship."
All 75 games of the men's basketball championship will continue to air across CBS, TBS and TNT.
Every game from the women's basketball championship will continue to air on ESPN networks.
The NCAA said it would be able to award more than $131 million in new revenue distributions to member schools participating in the basketball tournaments over the remaining six years of the NCAA's broadcast agreements.
As part of the agreements the NCAA said it would “open up new, previously restricted product categories for the NCAA Corporate Champions and Partners Program, including beer, wine, spirits, and hard seltzer, and allows for expanded in-game advertising opportunities during the linear and streaming coverage of the tournaments.”
In January 2024 ESPN and the NCAA signed a new, eight-year agreement beginning Sept. 1, 2024, for NCAA championships media rights, valued at $920 million $115 million annually by industry analysts.
Under the current eight-year extension signed in 2024, CBS and TNT have committed to paying the NCAA $8.8 billion thru 2032, according to industry analyst.
The NCAA said the value of the rights agreement would increase $50 million each year on average over the course of the six years.
“After accounting for expenses, the projected surplus will primarily be used to continue investing in the basketball tournaments and enhancing the NCAA championship experience for all student-athletes,” according to the NCAA.
The NCAA said the agreement was “minimally modified beginning with the 2026-27 championship year to expand the territory in which the NCAA may sell local sponsorships that are materially differentiated from the NCAA Corporate Champions and Partners Program and limited to the designated market area where a championship is held.
“It also permits the NCAA to pursue limited, sport-specific sponsorships with select equipment companies whose products are used in the applicable championship. Both opportunities would apply to all NCAA Championships other than the Division I Men's Basketball Championship.”
"As NCAA leaders, we are especially excited to provide additional, highly competitive games for fans who look forward to March Madness every year."
According to Jim Phillips, NCAA Board of Governors chair and commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference via the NCAA, “Providing additional access to the NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships for Div. I programs will be incredibly meaningful, especially to the student-athletes of the eight additional men's and women's programs that receive these coveted bids.
“The leadership by President Charlie Baker as well as Dan Gavitt, Lynn Holzman and JoAn Scott has been outstanding. We also appreciate the support of our broadcast partners and corporate champions and partners in making this a reality."
The news was played out in a spot, “NCAA March Madness Expansion.”
As we watch all-time action in both the Men’s and Women’s Div. I March Madness Tournaments, a voiceover offers, “Starting in 2027, NCAA March Madness is officially expanding; meaning more teams, more bracket-busting upsets, more Cinderella runs, and more unforgettable moments for student-athletes on college basketball's biggest stage.
"The intensity stays. The emotion stays. The magic stays. But what's coming next will be historic. Get ready for a new era of March Madness.”
The expansion from 68 teams to 76 teams is the men's tournament's largest increase since it moved to 64 teams in 1985. It went from 64 to 65 in 2001 and then added three more teams in 2011 to form the First Four..
The women's basketball championship began in 1982 with 32 teams, before the field increased by eight teams in both 1986 and 1989. Five years later, the field grew to 64, where it remained until 2022 when it went to 68 teams. With this expansion, the women's tournament will have increased by 12 teams since 2022.
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