March Madness 2026: How to Watch Selection Sunday Without Cable

When is the First Fourth Viewing?

• Wednesday and Thursday (women)
• Tuesday and Wednesday (men)

Where can you watch

• The men’s first four will air on TruTV and air on HBO Max.
• The Women’s First Four Games will air on ESPN2 and stream on ESPN Unlimited.

Check out DirecTV

It hosts all the March Madness channels

DirecTV MySports package

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It’s almost time for NCAA March Madness. It’s been almost a year since the Florida Gators won the men’s basketball championship and the UConn Huskies won the women’s title, and both teams earned top seeds in the 2026 NCAA tournament, too. The Gators find themselves sharing the No. 1 spot. 1 with Duke, Michigan and Arizona, while the Huskies women are joined by Texas, South Carolina and UCLA in the top four.

Both the men’s and women’s tournaments begin with the First Four, a series of matches that will narrow the field from 68 to 64. If you want to watch this year’s First Four, all men’s games will air on TruTV and stream on HBO Max. The Women’s First Four will air on ESPN2. After that the brackets will be set, but prepare for a busy weekend with more than 60 matches in the first round for both men and women.

Here’s a rundown of all the teams playing, how to watch, and everything else you need to know.

When does March Madness 2026 start?

March Madness 2026 officially begins Tuesday with the first four men’s games. The women’s First Four will start on Wednesday.

Watch March Madness without cable

Women’s March Madness games will be broadcast on ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNews. All First Four games of the women’s championship will be broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPN Unlimited. Men’s March Madness games will be split between TNT, TBS, truTV and CBS. You can catch every premier men’s game on TruTV with HBO Max.

ESPN Unlimited is ESPN’s all-inclusive independent streaming service. For $30 a month, you can watch every March Madness women’s game all in one place. Read our ESPN Unlimited review.

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 the HBO Max multi-viewing experience, you can stream up to three machups at once. Live shows are only available on HBO Max’s Standard ($18.50 per month) and Premium ($23 per month) plans.

You’ll be able to watch select games from the First Round through the Elite Eight live on CBS, which airs on Paramount Plus Premium for $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 is understandable. There are quite a few live TV streaming services where you can watch many or all of the men’s and women’s competitions all in one place. Each of them offers a free trial.

Men’s games will air on TBS, TNT, TruTV and CBS, while women’s games will air on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNews. With a subscription to YouTube TV, DirecTV or Hulu Plus Live TV, you can watch all the channels broadcasting the men’s and women’s competitions.

We’ll note that while Fubo offers major sporting events and includes access to ESPN Unlimited, it doesn’t carry TBS, TNT or TruTV, making it a very poor option for watching the men’s tournament.

YouTube TV costs $83 a month and includes TBS, TNT, truTV and CBS for the men’s tournament and ESPN 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’s a 21-day free trial.

Not all local channels are available in all markets, so you will need to make sure that the networks broadcasting the 2026 tournament are available in your area. Plug in your ZIP code to its welcome page to see what local networks you get.

Read our YouTube TV review.

Hulu with Live TV costs $90 a month and includes all the channels you need to watch both March Madness tournaments. On its live news page, you can enter your ZIP code under “Can I watch local news in my area?” query at the bottom of the page to see what local stations you are receiving.

Read our Hulu with Live TV review.

DirecTV’s MySports package costs $70 a month and includes ABC, CBS, TBS, TNT, TruTV and ESPN Unlimited, which means it’s one of the most extensive places to watch every March Madness game. Use the channel lookup tool to see what local stations are available where you live. Read our DirecTV MySports review.

The Fubo sports package costs $46 for your first month after the free trial. Like the main Fubo packages, it offers ABC, CBS and a subscription to ESPN Unlimited. Fubo’s Pro plan costs $74 per 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 what local channels you receive.
Read our Fubo review.

For more, check out our guide to live TV streaming services and our recommendations for the best sports streaming services.

March Madness tournament schedule:

March Madness men’s schedule

• Fourth First: Tuesday-Wednesday
• First Round: Thursday-Friday
• Second round: Saturday-Sunday
• Sweet 16: March 26-27
• Elite Eight: March 28-29
• Final Four: April 4
• National Championship: April 6, 8:30 pm ET (TBS)

Women’s March Madness schedule

• Fourth First: 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 pm ET (The second semifinal begins 30 minutes after the end of the first game.)
• NCAA championship game: April 5 at 3:30 pm ET (ABC)

March Madness men’s individual game schedule:

All Eastern times.

Fourth First:

Tuesday

• 6:40 pm: No. 16 UMBC vs. No. 16 Howard (TruTV)
• 9:10 pm: No. 11 Texas vs. No. 11 NC State (TruTV)

Wednesday

• 6:40 pm: No. 16 Prairie View A&M vs. No. 16 Lehigh (TruTV)
• 9:10 pm: No. 11 Miami (Ohio) vs. No. 11 SMU (TruTV)

First Round:

Thursday

• 12:15 pm: No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 TCU (CBS)
• 12:40 pm: No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 13 Troy (TruTV)
• 1:30 pm: No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 South Florida (TNT)
• 1:50 pm: No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 High Point (TBS)
• 2:50 pm: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 Siena (CBS)
• 3:15 pm: No. 5 Vanderbilt vs. No. 12 McNeese (TruTV)
• 4:05 pm: No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 14 North Dakota State
• 4:25 pm: No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 13 Hawaii (TBS)
• 6:50 pm: No. 6 North Carolina vs. No. 11 VCU (TNT)
• 7:10 pm: No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 UMBC or Howard (CBS)
• 7:25 pm: No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Texas or NC State (TBS)
• 7:35 pm: No. 7 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 10 Texas A&M (TruTV)
• 9:25 pm: No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 14 Penn (TNT)
• 9:45 pm: No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Saint Louis (CBS)
• 10 pm: No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 14 Kennesaw State (TBS)
• 10:10 pm: No. 2 Houston vs. No. 15 Idaho (TruTV)

On Friday

• 12:15 pm: No. 7 Kentucky vs. No. 10 Santa Clara (CBS)
• 12:40 pm: No. 5 Texas Tech vs. No. 12 Akron (TruTV)
• 1:35 pm: No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 16 LIU (TNT)
• 1:50 pm: No. 3 Virginia vs. No. 14 Wright State (TBS)
• 2:50 pm: No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 15 Tennessee State (CBS)
• 3:15 pm: No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 13 Hofstra (TruTV)
• 4:10 pm: No. 8 Villanova vs. No. 9 Utah State (TNT)
• 4:25 pm: No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Miami (Ohio) or SMU (TBS)
• 6:50 pm: No. 8 Clemson vs. No. 9 Iowa (TNT)
• 7:10 pm: No. 5 St. John’s vs. No. 12 Northern Iowa (CBS)
• 7:25 pm: No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 UCF (TBS)
• 7:35 pm: No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 15 Queens (TruTV)
• 9:25 pm: No. 16 Prairie View A&M or Lehigh vs. No. 1 Florida (TNT)
• 9:45 pm: No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 13 Cal Baptist (CBS)
• 10 pm: No. 2 Conn vs. No. 15 Furman (TBS)
• 10:10 pm: No. 7 Miami vs. No. 10 Missouri (TruTV)

March Madness women’s game schedule:

All Eastern times.

Fourth First:

Wednesday

Thursday

First Round:

On Friday

• 11:30 am: No. 3 Duke vs. No. 14 Charleston (ESPN2)
• 12 pm: No. 3 TCU vs. No. 14 UC San Diego (ESPN)
• 1:30 pm ET: No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 9 Virginia Tech (ESPN2)
• 2pm: No. 6 Baylor vs. No. 11 Nebraska/Richmond (ESPN)
• 2:30 pm: No. 6 Washington vs. No. 11 South Dakota State (ESPN News)
• 3pm: No. 5 Maryland vs. No. 12 Murray State (ESPNU)
• 3:30 pm: No. 5 Ole Miss vs. No. 12 Gonzaga (ESPN2)
• 4 pm: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 16 Stephen F. Austin/Missouri State (ESPN)
• 5:30 pm: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 15 Holy Cross (ESPN2)
• 5:30 pm: No. 4 North Carolina vs. No. 13 Western Illinois (ESPN News)
• 6pm: No. 2 LSU vs. No. 15 Jacksonville (ESPN)
• 6pm: No. 4 Minnesota vs. No. 13 Green Bay (ESPNU)
• 7:30 pm: No. 5 Michigan State vs. No. 12 Colorado State (ESPN News)
• 8pm: No. 7 NC State vs. No. 10 Tennessee (ESPN)
• 8:30 pm: No. 7 Texas Tech vs. No. 10 Villanova (ESPNU)
• 10 pm: No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 13 Idaho (ESPN)

On Saturday

• 11:30 pm: No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 14 Howard (ESPN2)
• 12 pm: No. 3 Louisville vs. No. 14 Vermont (ESPN)
• 1pm: No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 16 Samford/Southern (ABC)
• 1:30 pm: No. 7 Georgia vs. No. 10 Virginia/Arizona State (ESPN2)
• 2pm: No. 6 Notre Dame vs. No. 11 Fairfield (ESPN)
• 2:30 pm: No. 5 Kentucky vs. No. 12 James Madison (ESPNU)
• 2:30 pm: No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 11 Rhode Island (ESPN News)
• 3pm: No. 1 Conn vs. No. 16 UTSA (ABC)
• 3:30 pm: No. 8 Clemson vs. No. 9 USC (ESPN2)
• 4 pm: No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 15 Fairleigh Dickinson (ESPN)
• 5 pm: No. 4 West Virginia vs. No. 13 Miami (Ohio) (ESPNU)
• 5:30 pm: No. 8 Iowa State vs. No. 9 Syracuse (ESPN2)
• 7 pm: No. 2 Vanderbilt vs. No. 15 High Point (ESPN News)
• 7:30 pm: No. 8 Oklahoma State vs. No. 9 Princeton (ESPN2)
• 9:30 pm: No. 7 Illinois vs. No. 10 Colorado (ESPN2)
• 10 pm: No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 16 California Baptist (ESPN)