Newark to Host 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament

The Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau (GNCVB) has announced that the NCAA has selected the Prudential Center, the world-class sports and entertainment venue located in downtown Newark, and host institution Seton Hall University, as a host site for the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament East Regional.

This marks the return of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament to Prudential Center for the first time since 2011, when No. 4 Kentucky defeated No. 2 North Carolina in the East Regional Final. “This is truly great news and a real boost for our travel and tourism economy during an unprecedented year,” says Ricardo Salazar, Acting President/CEO, GNCVB. “We look forward to welcoming the teams and their supporters and sharing with them the very best that Newark has to offer. We know they will enjoy our excellent accommodations, our convenience as one of the largest transportation hubs in the nation, Newark’s renowned arts and cultural scene, and some of the finest restaurants found on the East Coast.”

For only the third time in its history, the NCAA undertook a site selection process where most of its championships were put out for bid at the same time, which created the largest host site announcement ever, spanning 86 championships across a four-year cycle. Bidding for 86 of 90 NCAA championships began in August 2019 and more than 3,000 bid applications were ultimately submitted. Each sport committee, per division, selected the host sites it believed would provide the ultimate experience for the respective student-athletes, resulting in more than 450 total championship event sites being awarded. More than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships each year.

“This was a huge undertaking,” adds Gregory Good, GNCVB Board Chair. “Newark knows how to host mega-events and being selected as the host city for the 2025 NCAA Tournament is a major coup for all of us. This would not have been possible without the support and leadership of Mayor Ras J. Baraka and the Newark Municipal Council, the staff of Prudential Center and its host school, Seton Hall University, and the staff of the Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau. It took true team work to put together a winning proposal.”

For more information visit www.NCAA.org.