How many rounds are in March Madness?
Count seven stages in 2027. The Opening Round comes first. Six rounds follow in the main bracket.
The ladder, round by round
Win, and you climb one rung.
Lose once, and you go home.
The table shows the men's ladder.
| Round | Men's 2027 dates | Teams playing |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Round | March 16 and 17 | 24 |
| First Round | March 18 and 19 | 64 |
| Second Round | March 20 and 21 | 32 |
| Sweet 16 | March 25 and 26 | 16 |
| Elite Eight | March 27 and 28 | 8 |
| Final Four | April 3 | 4 |
| Title game | April 5 | 2 |
Two rungs carry famous nicknames.
Read about the Sweet 16 round.
Read about the Elite Eight round.
Six rounds hold your bracket
Your bracket covers the main bracket only.
That is six rounds of picks.
It starts with 64 teams.
It ends with one champion.
The Opening Round sits outside it.
Its winners simply join the 64.
See how many games are in March Madness.
How many wins make a champion?
A main-bracket team needs six wins.
An Opening Round team needs seven.
Each win comes against a survivor.
The last win crowns the champion.
No team has ever lost and stayed.
That pressure is the whole show.
The women's ladder matches
The women's tournament climbs the same ladder.
Its dates shift by about a day.
| Round | Women's 2027 dates |
|---|---|
| Opening Round | March 17 and 18 |
| First Round | March 19 and 20 |
| Second Round | March 21 and 22 |
| Sweet 16 | March 26 and 27 |
| Elite Eight | March 28 and 29 |
| Final Four | April 2 |
| Title game | April 4 |
The women's Final Four is April 2.
Its title game is April 4.
Both play in Columbus, Ohio.
Five questions start it. You finish it.
Our picker opens on Selection Sunday, March 14, 2027. Five answers start your bracket. You can flip any pick. Free forever, no ads, no accounts.
Common questions
How many rounds are in March Madness?
In 2027 there are seven stages: the Opening Round, then the First Round, Second Round, Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, and the championship game. The main bracket that fans pick holds six of those rounds, starting with 64 teams.
How many games must a team win to be champion?
A team that starts in the main bracket must win six straight games. A team that starts in the Opening Round must win seven straight, because it has to win its way into the main bracket first.
More bracket basics
- How to fill out a March Madness bracket
- What is a March Madness bracket?
- How does bracket scoring work?
- What is a Cinderella team?
- When is Selection Sunday 2027?
- How often do upsets happen?
- What is a seed in March Madness?
- How to pick upsets
- What is March Madness?
- Has anyone ever had a perfect bracket?
- Fill out a bracket if you know nothing about basketball
- What is the Final Four?
- How many teams are in March Madness?
- What is the opening round in March Madness?
- What is the Sweet 16?
- What is the Elite Eight?
- How many games are in March Madness?
- What is an automatic bid?
- What is an at-large bid?
- What is a bubble team?
- What is bracketology?
- What is the NIT?
- What is a conference tournament?
- What are NET rankings?
- What is a bid stealer?
- What is the selection committee?
- What is Wins Above Bubble?