Fields Revealed for 2026 ESPN Events Invitational

ESPN revealed the fields for the 2026 ESPN Events Invitational, a men’s NCAA college basketball event with 10 teams and two fields taking place at Walt Disney World Resort during Thanksgiving week, Monday, Nov. 23 through Friday, Nov. 27, at State Farm Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Fla.

The 10-team field, divided between the Adventure Group and the Magic Group, includes 2026 NCAA Tournament participants Akron, UCF, Georgia and Wright State. Yale earned a berth in the NIT. The 2026 event also marks the 20th year Walt Disney World Resort has hosted ESPN’s annual Thanksgiving week college basketball invitational at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

The six-team ADVENTURE GROUP includes Akron, Appalachian State, Belmont, St. Bonaventure, Wright State and Yale. These six teams will each play three games between Monday-Wednesday, Nov. 23-25.

Field Highlights

  • Akron (MAC) has made the NCAA tournament in three straight and four of the last five seasons, going 29-6 last year. Dustin Ford begins his first head coaching assignment after spending nine years as an assistant with the Zips, including six MAC championship teams.
  • Appalachian State (Sun Belt) posted a 19-13 record last season in the 7th year under head coach Dustin Kerns. The Mountaineers have had a winning conference record in five of the last seven years in the Sun Belt.
  • Belmont (Missouri Valley) posted a 29-6 record last season, the 16th consecutive time the Bruins have won 20 or more games. Belmont has been a postseason fixture the last two decades, earning nine NCAA Tournament berths since 2006.
  • Bonaventure (Atlantic 10) will be led by new head coach Mike MacDonald, who spent the last 12 seasons at Division II national power Daemen University. MacDonald, the only head coach to win 100 or more games at every NCAA level, is a 1988 St. Bonaventure graduate. The Bonnies were 17-17 last season.
  • Wright State (Horizon League) went 23-12 last season and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022, losing a hard-fought game to Virginia in the first round, 82-73. The Raiders were the first team in program history to win both the Horizon League regular season and tournament titles.
  • Yale (Ivy League) has won 20 or more games in seven of the last eight years, including a 24-7 record and NIT appearance last season. Head coach James Jones enters his 28th season at the helm, having taken the Bulldogs to five NCAA Tournaments in his tenure.

The MAGIC GROUP features Boston College, UCF, Cincinnati and Georgia. Two games will be played on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 26, with the teams switching opponents for two more games on Friday, Nov. 27.

Field Highlights

  • Boston College (ACC) welcomes head coach Luke Murray, who was part of two national championship teams in five seasons as an assistant at Connecticut. The son of actor Bill Murray, Luke seeks to bring the Eagles their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2009.
  • Cincinnati (Big 12) is coming off an 18-15 season, including 9-9 in its third season of Big 12 Conference play. Head coach Wes Miller has recorded a winning record in 10 straight campaigns, the last five coming with the Bearcats.
  • Georgia (SEC) had its winningest regular season (22 victories) in 121 years of intercollegiate competition, finishing with a 22-14 record and its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bulldogs are in Kissimmee on Thanksgiving for the first time since 2010.
  • UCF (Big 12) will spend Thanksgiving close to campus in Kissimmee for the third time (2007, 2017). The Knights are coming off their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019, posting a 21-12 record and knocking off three top-20 teams in conference play.

All the games will once again be played at State Farm Field House, a multi-purpose venue that has been the site of world-class basketball competitions including NBA playoff games and elite youth tournaments.

Fans can sign up for first access to pre-sale tickets at the ESPN Events Invitational web site. Tickets will go on sale later this summer.

The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is just 21 miles from Orlando International Airport (MCO), which offers non-stop service to over 100 domestic destinations. Traveling fans are encouraged to visit Experience Kissimmee’s web site to learn about accommodation options ranging from large resorts to vacation homes. With the world’s largest collection of vacation home rentals, Kissimmee claims the title of Vacation Home Capital of the World®.

About ESPN Events

ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In the 2024-25 academic year, the 34-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, the premiere regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

About ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex

ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is where sports dreams come true for athletes and fans of all ages. Located at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, the complex is the home of a variety of events including Disney Soccer and Disney Spring Training and has accommodated 70 different sports featuring athletes from 70 different countries since opening in 1997. Designed to provide professional, amateur and youth athletes with experiences synonymous with the names Disney and ESPN, the 260+-acre facility features multiple competition venues, including 16 baseball/softball fields; a 9,500-seat stadium; a state-of-the-art indoor arena and two versatile field houses for basketball, volleyball, and other indoor sports; and 17 multi-purpose fields for outdoor sports including soccer, football and field hockey. The complex includes a professional production center that produces content for global distribution on the Disney family of networks. For more information, visit www.disneysportsnews.com for news releases, photos and videos.

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Media Coordinator: Charley Green at 214-734-8028 or [email protected]

ESPN: Danny Chi at 213-405-4400 or [email protected]