Ticket Prices Revealed for NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments

From the First Four to the Final Four, fans will pay a premium to attend March Madness games

Mar. 16, 2026 at 7:52am

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The NCAA men's and women's basketball tournament brackets were revealed on Sunday, and ticket prices have been announced for the various rounds of the tournaments. Prices range from affordable for the First Four games in Dayton, Ohio, to over $10,000 for the most expensive Final Four tickets in Indianapolis. The host cities and ticket costs for each round of the men's and women's tournaments are detailed.

Why it matters

March Madness is one of the most exciting times of the year for college basketball fans, but attending the games can be quite expensive. This information allows fans to plan and budget accordingly if they want to attend any of the tournament games in person.

The details

Tickets for the First Four games in Dayton, Ohio, start at $395 for an all-session pass, with individual Wednesday games costing around $160-$350. Tickets for the Round of 64 and Round of 32 games in the host cities of Buffalo, Greenville, Oklahoma City, and Portland range from $463 to $640 for all-session passes. The Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games in Houston, San Jose, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. have all-session ticket prices ranging from $511 to $3,500. Final Four tickets in Indianapolis start at $499 for all three games, with the most expensive ticket currently listed at $10,745.

  • The men's and women's NCAA basketball tournament brackets were revealed on Sunday, March 16, 2026.
  • The First Four games in Dayton, Ohio will take place on Tuesday, March 18, 2026 and Wednesday, March 19, 2026.
  • The Round of 64 and Round of 32 games will be played on Thursday, March 20, 2026 and Saturday, March 22, 2026.
  • The Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games will be held on Thursday, March 27, 2026 and Saturday, March 29, 2026.
  • The Final Four will take place on Saturday, April 4, 2026, with the championship game on Monday, April 6, 2026.

The players

University of Maryland-Baltimore County

A 16-seed team playing in the First Four games in Dayton.

Howard

A 16-seed team playing in the First Four games in Dayton.

Texas

An 11-seed team playing in the First Four games in Dayton.

NC State

An 11-seed team playing in the First Four games in Dayton.

Miami (OH)

An 11-seed team playing in the First Four games in Dayton.

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What they’re saying

“It's just how the game goes”

— UMBC (WBAL)

What’s next

Tickets for all rounds of the women's NCAA tournament are slated to go on sale to the general public on Monday.

The takeaway

Attending the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments, from the First Four to the Final Four, can be extremely expensive, with ticket prices ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Fans will need to plan and budget carefully if they want to experience the excitement of March Madness in person.