ESPN and Players Era Announce Multi-Year Agreement for Players Era Men’s College Basketball Championships

• The 2026 Players Era Men’s Championships will expand to 24 teams across two tournaments, highlighted by the past two national champions Michigan and Florida
• ESPN networks will be the exclusive home of all 37 games across the two tournaments and Players Era and ESPN Events will collaborate on all event staging and operations
• Additional details including matchups, schedule, broadcast information and ticket on sale to be announced in the coming weeks

Players Era, an EverWonder Studio company, and ESPN today announced a multi-year agreement for ESPN to serve as the exclusive broadcast partner for the Players Era Men’s Championships, starting with the 2026 tournaments which will take place this November in Las Vegas. Players Era and ESPN Events will also now collaborate on all staging and operational elements of the Players Era Men’s Championships.

Featuring a stacked field of some of the most storied programs in college basketball – including the last two NCAA Men’s Basketball national champions Michigan and Florida – the 2026 Players Era Men’s Championships will expand for the second year in a row, increasing to 24 participating teams competing in two separate tournaments, with each featuring bracket play where a champion will be crowned.

EverWonder CEO Ian Orefice said, “We couldn’t be more excited to forge this new partnership with ESPN, which will deliver an even larger platform for what has become the best college basketball tournament outside of March and create new opportunities to engage with fans across the country. I also want to thank TNT Sports for giving us the opportunity to launch this signature showcase event; they have been outstanding partners over the past two years and played a tremendous role in our success.”

Players Era CEO Seth Berger said, “College basketball is the hottest and one of the fastest-growing sports properties in the country. The players have never been better, and record ratings for early season college basketball reflect that. Led by top programs from multiple conferences across the sport, the teams in our field are stronger than ever. We can’t wait to bring March to November with the number one college basketball network in the world, ESPN.”

ESPN Senior Director of College Basketball Programming & Acquisitions Dan Margulis said, “Players Era features elite programs, meaningful competition and high-stakes matchups to start each season. These tournaments immediately strengthen ESPN’s industry-leading college basketball portfolio and underscores our commitment to showcasing the best teams and storylines across the sport. We’re excited to partner with the Players Era team to continue to elevate the Players Era Men’s Championships and showcase them to fans across the country.”

The expanded 2026 field is already shaping up to deliver an elite early-season showcase, featuring returning marquee national championship contenders, new powerhouse programs, and teams from seven different premier conferences, including eight teams from the Big 12 conference as part of the previously announced partnership between Players Era and the Big 12.

Overall, 13 teams who made the 2026 NCAA Tournament will participate in the 2026 Players Era Men’s Championships. In addition to the last two national champions Florida, ranked No. 1 in ESPN.com’s 2026-27 Way Too Early Top 25 Rankings and Michigan (No. 3), the fields include Alabama (No. 8), Tennessee (No. 11), Houston (No. 12), Louisville (No. 15), Iowa State (No. 18), St. John’s (No. 19), Miami (No. 21), Gonzaga (No. 24), Kansas, TCU and Texas Tech. The fields are rounded out by 2026 NIT Champions Auburn, Baylor, Maryland, Oregon, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Creighton, Rutgers, Kansas State, San Diego State and UNLV.

The Players Era Eight will take place the week of November 16, and feature Kansas, Florida, Houston, Auburn, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Rutgers and UNLV.

The Players Era Sixteen will be played over five days during Thanksgiving Week and include reigning national champion Michigan, along with Gonzaga, St. John’s, Baylor, Louisville, Iowa State, Alabama, Tennessee, Miami, Texas Tech, Maryland, TCU, Oregon, Creighton, SDSU and Kansas State.

Additional details – including matchups, schedule, broadcast information and ticket on-sale dates – will be announced in the coming weeks. Information about the 2026 Players Era Women’s Championship will be announced at a later date.