ORLANDO – In accordance with the announcement made Monday by ESPN Events, the schedule for the 2026 ESPN Events Invitational has been finalized.
UCF will face Boston College for the first time in program history on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, before taking on Georgia on Nov. 27. The Knights' matchup with the Eagles is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., while UCF and Georgia will tip off at 7 p.m. both games will be on ESPN2.
The tournament marks the second consecutive season UCF has played at ESPN Wide World of Sports. The Knights earned a victory over Florida Atlantic last season inside State Farm Field House. It also marks UCF's third appearance in the Thanksgiving-week event near campus, following previous trips in 2007 and 2017.
The 10-team field is divided into the Adventure Group and Magic Group and features four teams that participated in the 2026 NCAA Tournament: Akron, Georgia, UCF and Wright State. Yale also enters the field after earning a berth in the National Invitation Tournament.
All games will be played at State Farm Field House, which has hosted numerous premier basketball events, including NBA playoff games and elite amateur tournaments.
Fans can sign up for presale ticket access through the ESPN Events Invitational website.
About ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. During the 2024-25 academic year, its 34-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, the premier regular-season college softball and gymnastics events, and the Band of the Year National Championship.
Collectively, the events account for more than 400 hours of live programming across ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 attendees annually. Each year, the portfolio features participants from more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts more than 4,000 student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities nationwide, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities while 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 hosts a variety of events, including Disney Soccer and Disney Spring Training, and has accommodated 70 sports featuring athletes from 70 countries since opening in 1997.
Designed to provide professional, amateur and youth athletes with experiences synonymous with the Disney and ESPN brands, the 220-acre facility features multiple competition venues, including 16 baseball and softball fields, a 9,500-seat stadium, a state-of-the-art indoor arena, two field houses for basketball, volleyball and other indoor sports, and 17 multipurpose fields for outdoor sports such as soccer, football and field hockey.
The complex also includes a professional production center that creates content for global distribution across Disney's family of networks. For more information, visit www.disneysportsnews.com.
About UCF Athletics
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.
