THERE’S A LOT to like about the month of March. Spring is on the horizon, flowers are blooming, and the brutal chill of winter is faintly fading away in the rearview mirror. But for many of us, what we most look forward to as we enter the third month of the year, is excitedly watching (read: losing money on) the NCAA Division 1 Tournament, aka March Madness. Not unlike every year before it, this season has a ton of storylines to look out for as we gear up for the final stretch before Selection Sunday when the bracket is set.
Number one-ranked Duke is the current favorite to win it all, as they’ve been the number one team in the country the past three weeks. But there are questions about their tournament prospects now after losing starting guard Caleb Foster to a broken foot, with center Patrick Ngongba II already out with foot soreness. Can the twin duo of Cayden and Cameron Boozer (sons of Duke legend Carlos Boozer) elevate the Blue Devils? Or will the likes of Arizona, UConn, or Florida take hold of this opening? If you want to see any of the tournament action live, then it’s not a bad idea to get on that now.
In fact, rarely are there better collections of live games to experience than during March Madness. Thanks to an annual tradition of unforeseen upsets that create legendary Cinderella stories as they destroy the integrity (and potential profit) of your bracket, there are few more exciting events to see live. Sure, you can’t control having your bracket busted (literally no one’s ever completed a perfect one, so don’t feel too bad) you can certainly minimize the stress from and effort needed to buy your tickets to the games.
Below is a cheat sheet on how and where to buy March Madness tickets, so you can limit the extensive search-induced headache and even save some dough (that you may or may not invest on a few money lines).
How Much Are March Madness Tickets?
March Madness tickets can vary wildly in price depending on which arena you’re going to, what round the game’s in, and eventually which teams are playing. This year, we’ve noticed that prices have increased quite a bit from last year this early on. Tickets may get cheaper as we get to conference tournaments this week and eventually Selection Sunday, but history has shown that they tend to get more expensive once teams are locked in. If you want tickets now before teams are set, the cheapest we’ve been able to find so far are around $66 (fees included) for early-round games through SeatGeek, $149 (before fees) on StubHub, $160 (before fees) at Event Tickets Center, and $70 (before fees) on Ticketmaster. Keep in mind, these prices are sure to fluctuate.
However, if you’re dead-set on the Final Four games or the Championship, you’re going to have to shell out a bit more dough. These are generally in the hundreds and will only increase in price as the tournament plays out, but right now at SeatGeek we’re seeing tickets for the Final Four as low as $230 (fees included), $298 on StubHub (again, this is before fees), $290 from Event Tickets Center (before fees), and $219 on Ticketmaster (before fees). Our advice? Treat this like a juicy spread. and jump on these immediately because it certainly won’t stay at that number for long.
Where Will the March Madness Games Be Played?
Unlike comparable major sporting events like the Super Bowl (played in one city) or the World Series and NBA Finals (both split between two), March Madness games are spread out across quite a few different locations and rounds. The First Four (play-in games to determine who of the four lowest-ranked teams will qualify for the tourney) will be played at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio on March 17 and 18.
Then there’s a slew of first and second-round games played all over the place including:
- Buffalo, New York (March 19 and 21)
- Greenville, South Carolina (March 19 and 21)
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (March 19 and 21)
- Portland, Oregon (March 19 and 21)
- Tampa, Florida (March 20 and 22)
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (March 20 and 22)
- San Diego, California (March 20 and 22)
- St. Louis, Missouri (March 20 and 22)
These are followed by the Elite Eight games to be played in Houston (March 26 and 28), San Jose (March 26 and 28), Chicago (March 27 and 29), and Washington, D.C. (March 27 and 29). This all leads to the Final Four games on April 4 and the championship on April 6 which will be played at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana for 2026. So if you’re in, near, or looking to have a big March Madness trip, you can get tickets to the action.
When Do March Madness Tickets Go on Sale?
Despite the fact that any games have yet to be set, you can already buy tickets to every March Madness game. You can either purchase a set of every game happening in each round in a given city (known as all session passes), or tickets for singular-to-be-determined match-ups (usually categorized as session one, session two, or by round). Prices will only rise the closer we get to Selection Sunday on March 15 when every team in the tournament is officially set. So if you’re interested, now’s the best time to grab tickets.
Where to Buy March Madness Tickets?
Now, this is the most important thing when it comes to finding the best tickets at the lowest prices. Where you buy your March Madness tickets can go a long way in how easy the process is, how few fees you pay during it, and ultimately the overall value of the tickets. For our money, there are three clear top resources when it comes to where to buy March Madness tickets.
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He also trained in martial arts for 12 years and holds a third degree black belt. He has written about the outdoors for nearly two decades and was previously the Managing Editor, Content Performance at Gear Patrol. He is also a Certified Beer Server and previously covered the craft beer industry. Ryan currently lives on the water in New Jersey with his wife and their dog.
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Sean Zucker is the Grooming and Commerce Editor at Men’s Health. He brings over half a decade of experience covering health, wellness, and lifestyle. When Sean’s not writing about hair products, you can find him running for exercise, or toward the nearest food truck.
“,”jobTitle”:”Grooming and Commerce Editor”,”image”:”https://hips.hearstapps.com/rover/profile_photos/86255129-4246-4b1d-8c1a-3a0d611cf141_1738781877.file”,”sameAs”:[“www.instagram.com/seanzucker”]},”about”:{“@type”:”ItemList”,”numberOfItems”:5,”itemListElement”:[{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:1,”item”:{“@context”:”https://schema.org/”,”@type”:”Product”,”name”:”SeatGeek”,”url”:”https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/g70694227/buy-march-madness-tickets-2026/#slide-1″,”description”:”Known for its incredibly user-friendly app, SeatGeek is one of the best resources for those of us easily frustrated by the ticket-buying process. Plus, SeatGeek aggregates tickets from other major sellers, like StubHub and Ticketmaster, so you know you’re getting a good snapshot of the market for any event at any given time.Best of all, the price you see is the price you pay, as it lists the tickets with fees included (you just have to select the “Show prices including fees” toggle). For example, $55 tickets are actually $44 with $11 in fees. It’s by far the clearest service in terms of what you’re paying and why.”,”image”:”https://vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1773158709-e019fe40-4631-4db0-b213-58a8f9f2f624.jpg”,”brand”:{“@type”:”Brand”,”name”:null},”review”:{“@type”:”Review”,”name”:”SeatGeek”,”image”:”https://vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1773158709-e019fe40-4631-4db0-b213-58a8f9f2f624.jpg”,”author”:[{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Sean Zucker”}],”reviewBody”:”Known for its incredibly user-friendly app, SeatGeek is one of the best resources for those of us easily frustrated by the ticket-buying process. Plus, SeatGeek aggregates tickets from other major sellers, like StubHub and Ticketmaster, so you know you’re getting a good snapshot of the market for any event at any given time.Best of all, the price you see is the price you pay, as it lists the tickets with fees included (you just have to select the “Show prices including fees” toggle). For example, $55 tickets are actually $44 with $11 in fees. It’s by far the clearest service in terms of what you’re paying and why.”}}},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:2,”item”:{“@context”:”https://schema.org/”,”@type”:”Product”,”name”:”Stubhub”,”url”:”https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/g70694227/buy-march-madness-tickets-2026/#slide-2″,”description”:”StubHub is one of the largest ticket-buying services around, with a selection to rival the (more expensive) bigwigs like Ticketmaster. Not to mention, the company offers a “FanProtect Guarantee,” which ensures that if you buy tickets through them and something goes wrong (like say you accidentally buy fake tickets or the game gets canceled), you’re protected. If the seller doesn’t deliver the tickets or they are invalid, StubHub will either provide you with replacement tickets or a full refund.It’s the best service for those of us who have vowed to never be got again. That being said, the seller does tend to be somewhat misleading with its pricing, listing the tickets without the fees until check out—not to mention, the fees aren’t always clear or consistent. So, be careful before paying that you know exactly what you’re spending.”,”image”:”https://vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1773158907-bf39fb42-7004-428d-a7f2-5bb0d7e93abc.jpg”,”brand”:{“@type”:”Brand”,”name”:null},”review”:{“@type”:”Review”,”name”:”Stubhub”,”image”:”https://vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1773158907-bf39fb42-7004-428d-a7f2-5bb0d7e93abc.jpg”,”author”:[{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Sean Zucker”}],”reviewBody”:”StubHub is one of the largest ticket-buying services around, with a selection to rival the (more expensive) bigwigs like Ticketmaster. Not to mention, the company offers a “FanProtect Guarantee,” which ensures that if you buy tickets through them and something goes wrong (like say you accidentally buy fake tickets or the game gets canceled), you’re protected. If the seller doesn’t deliver the tickets or they are invalid, StubHub will either provide you with replacement tickets or a full refund.It’s the best service for those of us who have vowed to never be got again. That being said, the seller does tend to be somewhat misleading with its pricing, listing the tickets without the fees until check out—not to mention, the fees aren’t always clear or consistent. So, be careful before paying that you know exactly what you’re spending.”}}},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:3,”item”:{“@context”:”https://schema.org/”,”@type”:”Product”,”name”:”Tickets Center”,”url”:”https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/g70694227/buy-march-madness-tickets-2026/#slide-3″,”description”:”Event Tickets Center is a smaller resale ticket site but does have partnerships with arenas and programs that offer up a good selection. With a simple rundown of every to-be-determined game on the bracket, you can score comparable to everywhere else we’re seeing online. Keep in mind, however, Event Tickets Center does have fees and they can vary from event to event.”,”image”:”https://vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1773158476-1740084697-screenshot-2025-02-20-at-3-51-18-pm-67b795d4e17c6.png”,”brand”:{“@type”:”Brand”,”name”:”Event”},”review”:{“@type”:”Review”,”name”:”Tickets Center”,”image”:”https://vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1773158476-1740084697-screenshot-2025-02-20-at-3-51-18-pm-67b795d4e17c6.png”,”author”:[{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Sean Zucker”}],”reviewBody”:”Event Tickets Center is a smaller resale ticket site but does have partnerships with arenas and programs that offer up a good selection. With a simple rundown of every to-be-determined game on the bracket, you can score comparable to everywhere else we’re seeing online. Keep in mind, however, Event Tickets Center does have fees and they can vary from event to event.”}}},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:4,”item”:{“@context”:”https://schema.org/”,”@type”:”Product”,”name”:”Ticketmaster”,”url”:”https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/g70694227/buy-march-madness-tickets-2026/#slide-4″,”description”:”Ticketmaster is obviously the giant in the ticketing world. And while it’s had its snafus over the years, the online seller still has some some of the widest selection of tickets available. It also has them at some pretty decent pricing so far. Do keep in mind though that Ticketmaster is always before fees (and those fees can get up there in price). “,”image”:”https://vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1773159216-ccb7849d-3ddf-4ca9-95be-286e683b0caa.jpg”,”brand”:{“@type”:”Brand”,”name”:null},”review”:{“@type”:”Review”,”name”:”Ticketmaster”,”image”:”https://vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1773159216-ccb7849d-3ddf-4ca9-95be-286e683b0caa.jpg”,”author”:[{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Sean Zucker”}],”reviewBody”:”Ticketmaster is obviously the giant in the ticketing world. And while it’s had its snafus over the years, the online seller still has some some of the widest selection of tickets available. It also has them at some pretty decent pricing so far. Do keep in mind though that Ticketmaster is always before fees (and those fees can get up there in price). “}}},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:5,”item”:{“name”:””,”url”:”https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/g70694227/buy-march-madness-tickets-2026/#slide-5″,”description”:”More Great Basketball StoriesDenver Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon Six Pack | How to Watch March Madness | How to Make a March Madness Bracket | Vintage March Madness Photos | This Is Your Brain on March Madness | The Most Incredible College Basketball Arenas | How to Achieve NBA Level Mental Fitness | LeBron James’ Diet | Train Like LeBron James | Bronny James Interview”,”image”:”https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/ecomm-breaker-67febcd349ec4.jpg”}}]}}]
Known for its incredibly user-friendly app, SeatGeek is one of the best resources for those of us easily frustrated by the ticket-buying process. Plus, SeatGeek aggregates tickets from other major sellers, like StubHub and Ticketmaster, so you know you’re getting a good snapshot of the market for any event at any given time.
Best of all, the price you see is the price you pay, as it lists the tickets with fees included (you just have to select the “Show prices including fees” toggle). For example, $55 tickets are actually $44 with $11 in fees. It’s by far the clearest service in terms of what you’re paying and why.
StubHub is one of the largest ticket-buying services around, with a selection to rival the (more expensive) bigwigs like Ticketmaster. Not to mention, the company offers a “FanProtect Guarantee,” which ensures that if you buy tickets through them and something goes wrong (like say you accidentally buy fake tickets or the game gets canceled), you’re protected. If the seller doesn’t deliver the tickets or they are invalid, StubHub will either provide you with replacement tickets or a full refund.
It’s the best service for those of us who have vowed to never be got again. That being said, the seller does tend to be somewhat misleading with its pricing, listing the tickets without the fees until check out—not to mention, the fees aren’t always clear or consistent. So, be careful before paying that you know exactly what you’re spending.
Event Tickets Center is a smaller resale ticket site but does have partnerships with arenas and programs that offer up a good selection. With a simple rundown of every to-be-determined game on the bracket, you can score comparable to everywhere else we’re seeing online. Keep in mind, however, Event Tickets Center does have fees and they can vary from event to event.
Ticketmaster is obviously the giant in the ticketing world. And while it’s had its snafus over the years, the online seller still has some some of the widest selection of tickets available. It also has them at some pretty decent pricing so far. Do keep in mind though that Ticketmaster is always before fees (and those fees can get up there in price).
Sean Zucker is the Grooming and Commerce Editor at Men’s Health. He brings over half a decade of experience covering health, wellness, and lifestyle. When Sean’s not writing about hair products, you can find him running for exercise, or toward the nearest food truck.
Ryan Brower is the Senior Gear and Commerce Editor at Men’s Health, where he tests the best products in outdoor gear and tech. Baseball, surfing, and camping occupied most of his time growing up.
He also trained in martial arts for 12 years and holds a third degree black belt. He has written about the outdoors for nearly two decades and was previously the Managing Editor, Content Performance at Gear Patrol. He is also a Certified Beer Server and previously covered the craft beer industry. Ryan currently lives on the water in New Jersey with his wife and their dog.
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