Players Era field revealed for 2026. See which 15 teams are joining Louisville
· Yahoo Sports
We've known since last September that Louisville basketball was going to be part of the 2026 Players Era, a Thanksgiving week tournament held in Las Vegas that rose to prominence by offering $1 million in name, image and likeness compensation to participants — and additional money to the winner.
On Thursday morning, ESPN revealed what programs will be joining Pat Kelsey's Cardinals at the event:
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- Alabama
- Baylor
- Creighton
- Gonzaga
- Iowa State
- Kansas State
- Maryland
- Miami
- Michigan
- Oregon
- St. John's
- San Diego State
- TCU
- Tennessee
- Texas Tech
More specifics, including an official bracket and schedule, will be announced in the weeks to come, ESPN said in a news release Thursday. It has agreed to a multi-year deal to become the exclusive broadcast partner of the event.
The Players Era is expanding to 24 teams in 2026 after hosting 18 in 2025. Louisville is part of the Players Era Sixteen, while the following eight teams will convene in Las Vegas the week of Nov. 16:
- Auburn
- Florida
- Houston
- Kansas
- Notre Dame
- Rutgers
- UNLV
- West Virginia
In total, that's 13 teams coming off appearances in last season's NCAA Tournament — and 10 that are ranked in ESPN's way-too-early top 25 for 2026-27.
One noteworthy change for 2026: The Players Era is moving to a bracket-play format. Last year, teams were given two scheduled games and had their third opponent determined by record and scoring margin.
Reigning national champion Michigan won the 2025 Players Era with three victories by a combined 110 points. For their efforts, the Wolverines reportedly received an additional $1 million in NIL compensation, while runner-up Gonzaga received an additional $500,000.
UofL athletics director Josh Heird signed a contract last November locking the program into the Players Era for the next four seasons, through 2029-30.
Per a copy of the contract, obtained by The Courier Journal via an open records request, Players Era participants "will be provided with the opportunity to engage in (name, image and likeness) activities valued at a total of $1 million."
Louisville is coming off its first back-to-back March Madness appearances in more than a decade. As a No. 6 seed, Kelsey's Cards notched the program's first win in the Big Dance since 2017 before falling to No. 3 Michigan State in the Round of 32.
UofL's six-man transfer portal class, as of Thursday, ranked No. 1 in the country on 247Sports.com. Last Sunday, Kelsey landed a commitment from five-star center Obinna Ekezie Jr., who is reclassifying to enroll a year ahead of schedule. Two players from the 2025-26 roster are returning for another go-around, London Johnson and Adrian Wooley.
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Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at [email protected] and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball schedule includes Players Era 16-team bracket