How to watch March Madness free online, the best streams for Sweet 16 in the US, UK, and around the world

Wondering how to watch March Madness now that basketball is back in action for another week? You're not alone. This year's Sweet Sixteen games are being broadcast by no fewer than four stations in the US, each with their own streaming options to boot. Things are a little easier in the UK, with DAZN offering free streams, but this is still a juggling act over the ocean.

Essentially, you're looking at either splitting subscriptions between HBO Max or Paramount Plus for the men's games taking place tonight. If you're feeling flush, YouTube TV will have every single game in one place (there's also a free trial available if you're just catching Sweet Sixteen). Otherwise, today's games are split between TBS and CBS in the US, with each broadcaster running two matches.

The first four matches of March Madness Sweet Sixteen will tip-off from 7.10pm ET (11.10pm GMT / 10.10am AEDT), with Texas looking to take a stand against Purdue in the first matchup. After that it's onto Iowa vs Nebraska, with both teams sure to be in high spirits following some large victories earlier in the tournament.

Arkansas and Arizona will take to the court next, with the former's star freshman Acuff looking to add to his record list. Finally, Illinois and Houston are set to take the night out, two high seeds battling it out and a chance for Houston to stay in the game it only just lost last year.

For more details on how to watch March Madness online tonight, here's our full guide.

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, and is currently offering GamesRadar+ readers four months extra for free. 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.

Otherwise, 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.

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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).

Today's games

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

We're rounding up all the current ESPN Plus prices as well as the latest Peacock TV prices and Hulu free trials as well.