How to watch March Madness free online, everything you need to know ahead of Sweet 16

With the first round in the rear view mirror, those wondering how to watch March Madness Sweet 16 are back on the streaming hunt. Set to run over Thursday and Friday, these games will be split between CBS and TBS in the US, but UK viewers can watch for free on DAZN. That means there are plenty of ways to catch the action later this week.

With nearly 70 games over 21 days there's going to be a lot of intense action to enjoy, and the good news is that you can watch every event live – or catch up on any that you've missed. The broadcast and streaming rights are slightly different in different parts of the world, though, so which service or app you need depends on where you are.

In the US, multiple streamers and broadcasters share the rights to March Madness 2026. To watch March Madness online, you'll need either Paramount Plus (for CBS games) or HBO Max (for TBS, TNT, and TrueTV games). If you're on cable your provider may offer the March Madness Live app.

In Australia, March Madness is being streamed on Disney+, Foxtel and Kayo Sports. Disney+ will also be streaming March Madness to the UK.

The sports streamer DAZN is streaming March Madness free to a huge range of countries, including the UK and many countries across Europe and the Middle East. You can find the full list right here.

How to watch March Madness for free

UK basketball fans can watch March Madness for free this year, courtesy of DAZN. However, you may find yourself locked out of these streams if you're travelling abroad. That's because services like DAZN lock their content to a specific region, but there are workarounds available.

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) works by changing the location visible to these streamers. That means you can continue watching your content as if you were back home, including free March Madness lives streams courtesy of DAZN. Simply download the software, select your region of choice, and you're good to go.

NordVPN is our go-to. It's backed by a 30 day money back guarantee, offers fantastic security, and serves a wide range of server locations at the same time. It's the best VPN for gaming, but it will also see you through this year's March Madness season.

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How to watch March Madness in the US

The two key online streamers carrying March Madness in the US are Paramount+ (for all CBS games) and HBO Max (for the rest). Games will also be streaming on NCAA Live.

If you're a Paramount Plus subscriber you'll need the Premium plan to watch March Madness live on CBS; with a deal currently dropping that monthly rate down to $2.99 for two months. However, Walmart Plus members also get access to Paramount Plus for free right now. The Premium plan is included with all subscriptions at no extra charge.

HBO Max (available via Amazon Prime) carries TBS, TNT and TruTV; for live sport you need the Standard plan, which starts at $18.49 per month.

YouTube TV also carries all men's and women's March Madness games, with a free trial available now.

That's for the men's games, for the women's tournament you'll need ESPN2, ESPN, ESPNews and ABC to watch all March Madness games. YouTube TV still works here, but you can also catch free trials from Fubo and Sling TV as well.

Travelling right now? Try NordVPN for 30 days risk free and watch March Madness as if you were at home.

How to watch March Madness in the UK

In the UK, you can stream March Madness for free via DAZN – and if you're not already a subscriber you can sign up for a free account. The DAZN app is available for a huge range of devices including smart TVs, phones, tablets, streaming devices, games consoles and web browsers.

If you're out of the UK you can use NordVPN to access the DAZN service from wherever you are, but you may need to have your billing location in DAZN set to one of the supported countries.

How to watch March Madness in Australia

In Australia, Disney+ will be streaming the March Madness games. They will also be streaming online via Foxtel and Kayo. Foxtel offers a 10-day free trial and Kayo seven.

Disney+ doesn't currently offer a free trial to Australian viewers, so you'll need either the Standard plan ($15.99/month or $159.99/year) or the Premium Plan ($20.99/month / $209.99/year).

March Madness 2026 Men's dates

NCAA has very helpfully provided a full schedule for the men's events of March Madness 2026, which you can view here. It's a very long list so here's the overview of the men's events:

• Selection Sunday: Sunday, March 15
• First Four: March 17-18
• First round: March 19-20
• Second round: March 21-22
• Sweet 16: March 26-27
• Elite Eight: March 28-29
• Final Four: April 4 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
• NCAA championship game: April 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis

March Madness 2026 Women's dates

NCAA's schedule for the women's events is online here. These are the key dates you need to know as per the NCAA:

• Selection Sunday: 8 p.m. ET Sunday, March 15 on ESPN
• First Four: March 18-19
• First round: March 20-21
• Second round: March 22-23
• Sweet 16: March 27-28
• Elite Eight: March 29-30
• Final Four: Friday, April 3 at 7 p.m. with the second semifinal starting 30 minutes after the first game ends. Both will be at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix
• NCAA championship game: Sunday, April 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC, hosted at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix

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