NCAA Announces Additional Host Site for Opening-Round Games for Expanded March Madness Bracket

As the NCAA prepares for an expanded 76-team field in the men's and women's tournament next season, two new host sites have been announced for the men's event in March.

The NCAA confirmed on Thursday that Wichita and Dayton will host opening-round games in both 2027 and 2028 as part of the expanded tournament.

The NCAA officially announced the expansion of both the men's and women's Division I tournaments to 76 teams on May 7.

It marks the first expansion for the tournament since 2011 when it went from 64 to 68 teams. The new format will feature 12 opening-round games to determine all four No. 12 and 16 seeds, as well as two seeds each at No. 11 and 15.

Dayton has been the host site for First Four games in all but one year since the format was adopted in 2011.

The lone time it didn't was 2021 when the NCAA held the entire tournament in the Indianapolis metro area and other parts of central Indiana due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Per CBS Sports' Matt Norlander, Wichita beat out seven other cities to host the opening round. Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Des Moines, Iowa, were among the cities under consideration.

Norlander noted InTrust Bank Arena will be the host arena in Wichita since it can hold a capacity crowd of 15,004, compared to Wichita State's home arena that seats up to 10,500 people.

The central location in the middle of the country was also considered a point in Wichita's favor, per Norlander.

InTrust Bank Arena most recently hosted first- and second-round games in the men's NCAA tournament in March 2025. It was the site for the women's Sweet 16 and Elite Eight in March 2022.