Players Era to expand to 24 teams, 2 tournaments in 2026, with games moving to ESPN

The Players Era tournament has expanded its 2026 field to 24 college teams and agreed to a multiyear deal with ESPN to broadcast the games.

The teams will be split among two tournaments as the event goes to bracket play in 2026, with eight teams playing in a midweek tournament the week of Nov. 16 and the other 16 playing the week of Thanksgiving. Both tournaments will be held in Las Vegas.

The eight-team field will include Florida, Kansas, Houston, West Virginia, Notre Dame, Auburn, UNLV and Rutgers.

The 16-team field will include defending national champion (and Players Era champ) Michigan, along with likely preseason Top 25 teams Louisville, Tennessee, Gonzaga, St. John’s, Iowa State, Miami (Fla.) and Texas Tech. Alabama, Baylor, Maryland, Oregon, Creighton, TCU, Kansas State and San Diego State are also in the field.

Players Era debuted in 2024 and disrupted the multi-team-event structure of men’s college basketball by offering millions in name, image, and likeness deals. Last year’s field included 18 teams. After initially shooting for 32 teams in 2026, the Players Era settled on 24 with the two-bracket setup. The tournament was broadcast on TNT in its first two seasons.

In last year’s tournament, each team played two scheduled games, and the championship and third-place games were decided by record and margin of victory. Some fans were upset with that format. For instance, Iowa State went 2-0 in its first two games but was fifth in score differential. That led to a push for bracket play.

“I’m ecstatic to be partnering with ESPN and going to bracket play,” Players Era CEO Seth Berger said. “I think these two decisions help continue elevating Players Era as the biggest college basketball event outside of March.”

Berger said the reason for the two-week setup was scheduling. Schedules will be announced at a future date, as will details on a women’s event. Last year, Players Era brought four women’s teams — Duke, South Carolina, Texas and UCLA — to Las Vegas for a tournament during the Thanksgiving week.