NCAA names four Final Four sites; Vegas gets its first, in 2028

The men's national semifinals and championship game of the NCAA tournament will be held in Las Vegas for the first time in the history of the event.

Ford Field in Detroit, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and AT&T Stadium in Dallas will host the Final Four between 2029 and 2030.

Bradley athletic director Chris Reynolds, who chairs the NCAA selection committee, is excited to bring the NCAA's premier championship to Las Vegas. The feedback from leagues, the fans of their teams and the media covering the events staged there has been overwhelmingly positive.

State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, the Alamodome in San Antonio, and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis were chosen to host the Final Fours.

The NCAA shied away from Las Vegas because of its reputation as a gambling Mecca. As sports betting became legal in states across the country, and as the city's arenas became the home of many basketball tournaments, the stance changed.

The Mountain West will play its championship game at the Thomas & Mack Center, the Pacific-12 at T-Mobile Arena, the West Coast Conference at Orleans Arena, and the Western Athletic Conference atMichelob Ultra Arena.

The men's NCAA tournament will be held in Las Vegas for the first time this March when a regional round is held at T-Mobile Arena.

The men's basketball championship has been hosted at the other Final Four sites.

Ford Field was the home of the Detroit Lions in 2009, when 72,922 people came to see North Carolina beat Michigan State. The Final Four will be held at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, for the second year in a row.

In the past 25 years, Lucas Oil Stadium has hosted the Final Four six times, the most recent in 2021. In 2029, Indianapolis and Kansas City will be tied for the most times conducting the title game with 10.

"Coaches, players, fans and media love coming to the Final Four in Indianapolis, but I don't think you can overstate just how much everyone enjoys their experience," Reynolds said. Major events are embraced by the people, but they don't take them for granted.