The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, better known as March Madness, is a three-week frenzy of basketball that eclipses even the NBA. And you don't need to be crazy about basketball to catch the bug. Only the 68 best college programs in the US qualify, and they're split across four regions, each with its own No.1 seed. Those four slots are filled by the standout Duke Blue Devils, Arizona Wildcats, Michigan Wolverines and Florida Gators.
Follow our guide below for where to watch March Madness 2026 live streams from anywhere with a VPN.
How to watch March Madness 2026 online and free
UK: DAZN (FREE)
US: Sling
Australia: Kayo Sports (FREE trial)
Blocked? Watch your preferred March Madness stream with a VPN
The March Madness field and seeding order were determined by the NCAA Selection Committee on Selection Sunday, after the numerous conference tournaments wrapped.
Some teams, like the aforementioned Duke, Arizona, Michigan and Florida, have been so good all season they were virtually guaranteed a spot at the tournament. For many participants, however, the only path to March Madness was a conference tournament victory. 31 teams made the cut this way, with the other 37 spots filled by the Selection Committee.
If you have no skin in the game and aren't clued-up on college basketball, it'll be worth keeping an eye out for the BYU Cougars, Kansas Jayhawks and North Carolina Tar Heels too. AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Caleb Wilson are widely considered the top prospects in college basketball right now, along with Duke's Cameron Boozer.
We'll show how to watch March Madness live streams from anywhere in the world.
Where can I watch March Madness 2026 free of charge?
Lucky basketball fans in the UK can watch March Madness games for free, courtesy of DAZN.
All you need to do is register an account.
Watch March Madness 2026 live from anywhere
Most March Madness live streams are location-sensitive, which means you won't be able to access your preferred coverage when travelling abroad. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a straightforward but powerful app that lets you alter your virtual location and thus unblock any March Madness stream – including the free coverage in the UK.
NordVPN is our pick of the best VPN services. It's affordable, fast, stable and easy to use. Try it risk-free for 30 days and see for yourself.
How to use a VPN for any March Madness live stream
1. Sign up to the VPN of your choice. NordVPN is the one we recommend.
2. Open the VPN app and choose the location of the service you wish to access. For March Madness, you may wish to choose the United Kingdom for DAZN.
3. Head over to DAZN on your browser or device and enjoy the free March Madness live stream.
Watch March Madness 2026 live in US
College basketball fans in the US can watch every March Madness game with a single subscription to Sling TV.
There are several plans to choose from, but the best option is a subscription to Sling Blue, which starts at $45.99/month – you'll get your first month half-price – and carries TBS and TruTV.
What's more, your Sling subscription will also unlock access to CBS' March Madness coverage, via March Madness Live.
Alternatively, Paramount+ and HBO Max are available as streaming alternatives that provide you access to CBS and TBS and TruTV's coverage respectively.
To access your usual streaming service from outside the US, you'll need to download a good VPN, as detailed above.
Watch March Madness 2026 live in UK
As mentioned above, free March Madness coverage is available in the UK, via DAZN.
The streaming service usually requires a subscription, but it's taken its college basketball coverage out from behind the paywall.
Disney+ will also be showing the games with prices starting at £5.99 for their streaming service.
Outside the UK? Get NordVPN to access your usual March Madness streams.
Watch March Madness 2026 live in Australia
College basketball fans in Australia can watch select March Madness games on Kayo Sports
Kayo offers new customers a FREE 7-day trial to test the waters, after which it starts at AU$29.99 a month for the base Standard tier. For up to 4K video quality and simultaneous streaming on up to two devices, you'll need the Kayo Premium plan for AU$45.99 a month.
Subscribers can also stream the action via Foxtel Now by adding the Sports package ($30 a month).
Australian viewers travelling abroad can access their March Madness coverage using NordVPN.
March Madness 2026 schedule and dates
First Four Round
Tuesday, 17th March
First Round
Thursday, 19th March – Friday, 20th March
Second Round
Saturday, 21st March – Sunday, 22nd March
Sweet 16 Round
Thursday, 26th March – Friday, 27th March
Elite Eight Round
Saturday, 28th March – Sunday, 29th March
Final Four Round
Saturday, 4th April
March Madness Final
Monday, 6th April
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VPN services are evaluated and tested by us in view of legal recreational use. For example: a) Access to services from other countries, (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). b) Safeguarding your online security and making your online privacy more robust when abroad. Future plc does not support nor condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. We do not endorse nor approve of consuming pirated content that is paid-for.
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