Report: Louisville's Draw for 2026 Players Era Championship Revealed

The Cardinals will be heading to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving week.

Mar 11, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Louisville Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey reacts in the first half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball program has long been announced as a participant in the 2026 Players Era Men's Championship, and now they know their draw for the event.

According to CBS Sports' Matt Norlander, the Cardinals will open up their run in the event against Texas Tech. The matchup will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 24 at a to-be-determined time.

The showdown between the Cardinals and Red Raiders is matched up against St. John's vs. Oregon, with UofL's matchup against either the Red Storm or Ducks set for Thursday, Nov. 26. Tennessee vs. Maryland and Iowa State vs. San Diego State is also on Louisville's side of the bracket, and the Cards would take on one of those teams on Friday, Nov. 27.

Should Louisville win all three games, they would get to play in the event's championship game on Saturday, Nov. 28. The other side of the 16-team bracket consists on Alabama, Baylor, Creighton, Gonzaga, Kansas State, Miami, Michigan and TCU.

Originally known as the Players Era Festival, it was rebranded to the Players Era Men's Championship. The MTE also expanded from 18 teams in the 2025 iteration to 24 teams for this season, with the 24 participants will be split into two separate tournaments. Louisville signed a four-year deal with the Players Era last September, and will make their first appearance this fall.

The week of Nov. 16 will feature the "Players Era 8," with Auburn, Florida, Houston, Kansas, Notre Dame, Rutgers, UNLV and West Virginia making up the field. During the week of Nov. 23, which is Thanksgiving Week, is when the "Players Era 16" - the field in which Louisville was assigned to - will take place.

Like the first two iterations, the event will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the championship game taking place at Michelob Ultra Arena. All 37 games will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks. Each participating team will be given an average of $1 million, while the winner of each tournament will receive an additional $1 million.

Louisville's non-conference schedule for the 2026-27 season, which will be year three under head coach Pat Kelsey, is starting to come together. On top of their run in the Player's Era Men's Championship, they'll play at Kentucky and Memphis, Baylor at a to-be-determined neutral site, Cincinnati at Freedom Hall, and in the ACC/SEC Challenge vs. a to-be-determined opponent.

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(Photo of Pat Kelsey: Bob Donnan - Imagn Images)