NCAA Makes Decision on Tournament Expansion in 2026

The future of the NCAA tournament is still being considered, but a decision has been made for 2026.

The NCAA has made a decision on tournament expansion for next season. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The NCAA will not expand the men's or women's basketball tournaments in 2026, NCAA vice president Dan Gavitt announced on Monday.

While the field will remain at 68 teams next season, rather than pushing to include a potential 72 or even 76 teams, expansion will be considered once again for 2027 and beyond.

NCAA VP Dan Gavitt announces that basketball tournament expansion is off the table for 2026. It will still be discussed for 2027 and beyond.

Once again: any delay in implementing a bad policy is a good outcome.

— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) August 4, 2025

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

The NCAA tournament has been at 68 teams since 2011. Any further expansion would certainly weaken the bubble in future tournaments.

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