UNLV opens the 2026 Players Era Festival against Kansas, in its own city, at Michelob ULTRA Arena on November 17. It's one of 37 games across two tournaments and 24 teams, the biggest regular-season college basketball event ever staged. All of it is here. Players Era 8 runs November 17 to 19. Players Era 16 fills Thanksgiving week, November 24 to 28, and ends at Michelob ULTRA Arena on the Saturday.
Players Era 8: November 17 to 19
The Players Era Festival starts with the smaller of its two brackets. Four first-round games fill the opening day: Houston against Rutgers, Florida against Notre Dame, Auburn against West Virginia, and Kansas against UNLV. The semifinals follow on November 18, and the title game, the third-place game and the consolation games close it out on November 19. Florida and West Virginia are new to the event this year, and 13 of the 24 schools across both tournaments played in last season's NCAA Tournament.
Where: Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay, south Strip, and T-Mobile Arena, center Strip. When: November 17 to 19 (Players Era 8) and November 24 to 28 (Players Era 16). Best for: college basketball fans who want a week of games on one trip. Booking: Vegas.com sells the festival by session, with several sessions a day.
Check Players Era Festival tickets
Players Era 16: Thanksgiving week
The bigger tournament is two brackets of eight. One holds Tennessee, Maryland, Iowa State, San Diego State, St. John's, Oregon, Louisville and Texas Tech. The other holds Gonzaga, Kansas State, Baylor, Alabama, Michigan, Creighton, Miami and TCU. Quarterfinals and consolation games run from November 24 to 26, the semifinals land the day after Thanksgiving, and on Saturday, November 28 the two bracket winners meet at Michelob ULTRA Arena. The champion's players earn an extra million dollars in NIL opportunities on top of what every team gets for showing up.
Why the players get paid
Players Era was founded in 2024 by EverWonder Studio and Seth Berger, built around one idea: the schools that come to Las Vegas get name, image and likeness money for their players. The NCAA does not allow direct pay for playing in an event, so the money is set up as NIL deals through each school's collective. The model has grown fast. In November 2025 the Big 12 took a 15 percent equity stake in the event, and for 2026 ESPN is the television partner.
Two years, two champions
The first edition, in 2024, had eight teams, and Oregon beat Alabama 83-81 in the final. The 2025 event grew to 16 teams and swapped the bracket for a Swiss-style format, where the best record and point differential won it. Michigan won it, beating Gonzaga 101-61 along the way. That format drew criticism, so 2026 returns to straight elimination brackets: lose and you drop to the consolation side, win and you keep moving toward Saturday. Saturday decides it.
Planning the week
Michelob ULTRA Arena sits inside Mandalay Bay at the south end of the Strip, and T-Mobile Arena is behind New York-New York and Park MGM, so the two venues are one tram ride and a short walk apart. Doubleheaders are easy. The Players Era 8 final on November 19 shares the night with the opening practice session of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, and our Grand Prix guide covers that weekend. For the second tournament, our Thanksgiving in Las Vegas guide and the Thanksgiving hub cover dinner and the rest of the holiday weekend.
