ESPN has revealed the lineup for the 2026 ESPN Events Invitational, a Thanksgiving‑week college basketball tournament that will be staged at Walt Disney World Resort’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Florida.
A milestone tournament returns
The competition will feature two distinct groups. The MAGIC GROUP comprises Boston College, UCF, Cincinnati and Georgia, while the Adventure Group includes Akron, Wright State and Yale. Boston College is slated to open its campaign on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, and will return the following day for a second matchup.
Spanning from November 23 through November 27, the event will host ten teams in total. It marks the 20th anniversary of ESPN’s annual Thanksgiving‑week invitational, underscoring two decades of holiday basketball tradition.
All games are scheduled to be played at State Farm Field House, a facility that has previously hosted NBA playoff contests and elite youth tournaments, adding a professional sheen to the college showcase.
Several of the participants are also NCAA Tournament qualifiers, and Yale earned a berth in the 2026 National Invitation Tournament, further enriching the field. The complete game schedule will be released in the coming weeks, but anticipation is already building among fans and analysts alike.