- Tournament brackets available Sunday night, March 15, following the day’s shows on ESPN
- More than $250,000 in prizes available for Men’s, Women’s Tournament Challenge
- Tournament Challenge Marathon: Five straight days of analysis, advice and more, starting Sunday, March 15
ESPN’s No. 1 college basketball bracket game is officially open for both the men’s and women’s tournament, and is available wherever fans experience ESPN. Fans can make up to 25 brackets per tournament on ESPN.com or in the ESPN Tournament Challenge App, ESPN App or ESPN Fantasy App.
This means fans will be able to interact with their brackets on web, in whichever app they feel most comfortable using and even through the connected TV experience within ESPN’s direct-to-consumer offering. Fans can compete against ESPN talent and celebrities with up to $250,000 in prizes offered throughout the tournaments.
New this year…
- Brackets in the ESPN App Scores section: In a major product integration milestone, fans will now see their bracket scores directly within the ESPN App Scores section and the home feed of the ESPN App, connecting Tournament Challenge more seamlessly with the core ESPN experience.
-
- Free, data-rich bracket tools: ESPN’s Bracket Predictor and Bracket Analyzer are free for fans, offering data-driven bracket recommendations and personalized bracket analysis.
- Smarter, faster bracket creation: New one-click autofill capabilities allow fans to instantly generate smart, chalk or team-specific brackets from promotional placements across ESPN platforms.
- Enhanced social, sharing features: Improved share graphics, round-by-round scoring visibility, group reminder emails and real-time matchup pick percentages create a more dynamic, social experience.
- Bet Your Bracket: Through ESPN’s agreement with DraftKings, the two sides recently launched an account linking feature that allows fans who participate in ESPN Tournament Challenge the ability to “Bet Your Bracket” in the DraftKings app. With data from the account linking feature, DraftKings will set up a personalized hub of betting markets in their app for fans throughout the tournament based on an understanding of that fan’s game selections in their ESPN Tournament Challenge bracket. Also, just by linking ESPN and DraftKings accounts, DraftKings will provide fans 1 free month of ESPN Unlimited.
Last but not least…
- TC Eliminator: A new way to play: In addition to the ESPN Tournament Challenge fans know and love, this year will be the debut of TC Eliminator, which is now available for sign-ups. TC Eliminator is a daily game format available for both the men’s and women’s Tournaments. Each day of the tournament, fans pick the winner of one game. Teams can only be selected once, and play continues until a fan picks incorrectly or runs out of teams.
The Fun Begins on Sunday:
Sunday, March 15, ESPN will cover both the men’s and women’s tournaments.
- SportsCenter will provide analysis of the men’s bracket as it’s revealed starting at 6 p.m. ET. Bracketology Presented by Lowe’s for the men’s tournament follows at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, airing live from Nashville, site of the SEC Men’s Tournament. Rece Davis will host along with Jay Bilas, Seth Greenberg and Jay Williams.
- At 8 p.m. ET, ESPN will exclusively reveal the women’s bracket. Christine Williamson will host, with Andraya Carter, Rebecca Lobo, Chiney Ogwumike and Charlie Creme as analysts, and Holly Rowe reporting.
Tournament Challenge Marathon:
Providing valuable advice for fans hoping to win an ESPN Tournament Challenge Grand Prize, ESPN’s Tournament Challenge Marathon will present in-depth, up-to-the-minute bracket analysis and college basketball insight for both the men’s and women’s tournaments on popular ESPN shows, including SportsCenter, Get Up, First Take, NBA Today and Unsportsmanlike.
- The Tournament Challenge Marathon starts Sunday, March 15, when the men’s and women’s tournament brackets are announced, and continues through Friday, March 20, when the women’s Round of 64 tips off.
- Immediately following both Sunday shows, special editions of Women’s Bracketology (9-10 p.m. ET, ESPN) and Men’s Bracketology (10-11 p.m. ET, ESPN) will break down the respective fields, with expert analysis for filling out the brackets.
- Williamson will host Women’s Bracketology Presented by Lowe’s with Carter, Ogwumike, Lobo, Kelsey Riggs Cuff, Carolyn Peck, Muffet McGraw, and Rowe.
- Kevin Connors will host Men’s Bracketology alongside Tom Crean, Jimmy Dykes and Sean Farnham.
- Bracketology will air on Monday, March 16, from 7-9 p.m. ET, on ESPN2, providing fans with the best tips and analysis for filling out brackets for both tournaments. Zubin Mehenti will host, along with Greenberg, Farnham, Kevin Keatts and Ron Slay for analysis of the men’s side, while Williamson and crew will provide insight on the women’s.
ESPN Marketing returns Bracketbrain campaign:
ESPN is building on last year’s successful “Bracketbrain” platform with a new satirical marketing campaign for ESPN Tournament Challenge. It consists of a full-fledged spoof pharmaceutical spot with ESPN treating college basketball obsession with the only logical prescription: ESPN Tournament Challenge.
| Key Dates | |
| Date | Details |
| March 15 | Official brackets revealed |
| March 17 | Men’s Tournament begins |
| March 18 | Women’s Tournament begins |
| April 5 | Women’s National Championship |
| April 6 | Men’s National Championship |
With new gameplay formats, deeper ESPN ecosystem integration and expanded tools for both tournaments, Tournament Challenge 2026 offers fans more ways than ever to experience March college basketball.
All of ESPN. All in One Place.
ESPN offers its full suite of networks and services directly to fans on the ESPN App, providing more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, including more than 47,000 live events per year, on-demand replays, industry-leading studio shows and original programming, and more. The ESPN App gives fans a unique viewing experience that includes multiview and synchronized two-screen viewing options, swipe-able vertical video and a personalized SportsCenter For You, as well as integrated game stats, ESPN Fantasy sports, betting odds and information from DraftKings, sports merchandise, and more. These features are available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a pay TV package. Bundling options available for fans include a limited time offer for the ESPN DTC Unlimited plan with Disney+ and Hulu for $29.99/month for the first 12 months. For more visit stream.espn.com.
-
-
-
-
-
