March Madness Locations: Every Host City in the 2025 Men’s NCAA Tournament

The men’s NCAA tournament provides a four-day stretch of, well, madness. Thursday through Sunday is a cavalcade of intriguing matchups, betting opportunities, shocking upsets and the beginning of potential Cinderella stories.

And the bracket pools. Can’t forget about those.

But while fans wait for Selection Sunday and try to crack the code on the perfect bracket, there’s plenty of action happening behind the scenes.

Groups around the nation are vying for the opportunity to host the NCAA tournament, years beforehand.

In 2025, there are 14 different cities hosting March Madness games. Thirteen of which are different from last year’s tournament.

Full List of 2025 March Madness Host Cities

First Four Location: Dayton, Ohio

Since 2022, Dayton has played host to the First Four play-in games. There are a number of reasons that the Ohio city was selected, not the least of which being location.

Dayton is in the Eastern time zone, making it perfect for television audiences. It also is within 600 miles of more than 50% of the U.S. population (according to the Dayton Business Journal).

Pair those factors with the Dayton International Airport, which is known for being particularly efficient, and you’ve got a recipe for basketball success.

It’s easy to get fans in and out of a relatively central location. That’s what it boils down to for the NCAA.

San Antonio’s History As a Final Four Host City

San Antonio first hosted the Final Four in 1998. Jeff Sheppard and Nazr Mohammed led the Kentucky Wildcats to a win over the Utah Utes in the Alamodome to win the championship.

In total, more than 40,000 fans attended the final three games of the tournament in San Antonio, generating close to $50 million for the city.

It was such a success that the NCAA has returned to San Antonio seven times for men’s and women’s Final Four games.

The city hosted again in 2004, 2008 and 2018.

The 2004 championship matchup saw Emeka Okafor and the UConn Huskies defeat the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to win it all in front of 44,468 in the Alamodone.

The 2008 title game was a clash between the Kansas Jayhawks and Memphis Tigers. It was one of just seven championship games to go to overtime, where the Jayhawks prevailed.

Ten years later, the Final Four returned to San Antonio and featured a true Cinderella team in Loyola–Chicago. The Ramblers were an 11-seed heading into the tournament and the nation seemed captivated by their plucky nature and superfan Sister Jean. However, the storybook ending wouldn’t come for the Ramblers, as they fell to the Michigan Wolverines. In turn, Michigan would lose to the Villanova Wildcats and Donte DiVincenzo in the title game.

In 2025, San Antonio will become the first city to host five men’s Final Fours.

How Host Cities Are Chosen for March Madness

The NCAA hosts a bidding process for cities to get March Madness games. Overall, the process involves evaluating proposals submitted by the city or the venue. Certain requirements must be met for a city or venue to be considered.

Venue Requirements: The NCAA requires that venues seeking to host the first and second rounds have at least 10,000 seats. The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds require at least 15,000 seats each. For the Final Four, the NCAA usually opts for stadiums or domes with at least 60,000 seats.

High-quality facilities with modern amenities and infrastructure capable of accommodating thousands of fans, players and media members efficiently and safely are also required. The NCAA also looks into the transportation options of host cities, including distance from airports, public transportation options and traffic patterns.

Hotels and Infrastructure: Host cities must have a sufficient number of hotels within a short distance to the arena. Between players, coaches, media members and fans, it isn’t uncommon to see tens of thousands of people hit the city at the same time. The NCAA also considers nearby eateries and attractions when selecting host cities.

Previous Experience: The NCAA gives preference to cities that previously and successfully hosted tournament games. A huge influx of people can create a number of problems quickly, so past experience is highly valuable as it displays a knowledge of the logistics required to safely, securely and efficiently host the games.

Community Impact: When evaluating bids, the NCAA considers the economic benefits to the city and local communities. Submitted proposals often highlight potential partnerships with local organizations and groups.

Geographic Distribution: Nationwide accessibility to games is a must for the NCAA, so host cities are scattered throughout the U.S. to ensure that fans don’t need cross-country flights to watch the tournament live.

Financial Considerations: It is very common for host cities and venues to offer revenue sharing deals in their proposals. This obviously strengthens the bid as it reduces the cost for the NCAA.