2026 Cancun Challenge Fields Begin to Take Shape

Men's and women's programs set for another Thanksgiving week showdown at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya

FORT COLLINS, CO – Tournament officials with the Cancun Challenge college basketball event are pleased to announce the participating programs for the 2026 edition, with the men's and women's fields taking shape ahead of another Thanksgiving week showdown at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.

Powered by Triple Crown Sports, the 2026 event marks the 21st edition of the women's tournament and the 19th for the men. Players and fans will once again be just steps from their rooms to the converted ballroom that hosts the competition at the all-inclusive Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.This year's field is shaping up to be worth the trip.

The men's tournament tips off Nov. 24-25 with six programs confirmed and two spots still to be filled, featuring one cross-play game inthe U.S. plus two bracket play games in Mexico. Detroit Mercy, North Dakota,Northern Colorado and Southeastern Louisiana make up the Mayan Division. Kennesaw State and UTEP are set for the Riviera Division, with two programs to be announced. On the women's side, the event runs Nov. 26-28. Georgia and Oregon headline a Mayan Tournament field that operates as a four-team, three-game round robin, with two programs still to be confirmed. Kansas, Miami (OH), Minnesota and Washington State are locked into the six-team Yucatan Tournament, which plays two games in Mexico, joined by two additional programs to be announced.

Additional team announcements, scheduling details and broadcast information will be released on the event website as the field is finalized: Cancun Challenge

Fan packages are available for those looking to make a week of it — warm weather, world-class resort amenities and high-level college basketball all in one place: FanPackages – Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya

About Triple Crown Sports
Based in Fort Collins, CO., Triple Crown Sports has been producing youth, high school and college events for more than 40 years. TCS runs the postseason WNIT basketball event and produces the men’s and women’s DI Cancun Challenge tournaments in November. Triple Crown’s PV College Challenge features more than 10 of the top DI college softball teams in the country each year in Puerto Vallarta, MX. Anchored by the 1,200-team Colorado 4th of July event, TC fastpitch tournaments draw the nation’s finest club programs, and hundreds ofcollege coaches attend TCS events for recruiting purposes. TCS produces two of the largest youth baseball events in the world with the 800-team Omaha SlumpBuster during the College World Series and the 800-team Arizona Spring Championships during MLB Spring Training. The Triple Crown Volleyball NIT has become the top-recruited club volleyball event in the country each February when 680 teams compete in Kansas City, MO.