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Alexa Philippou, ESPN
UConn and Louisville will tip off the 2025-26 season at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, appearing in the first-ever women’s college basketball matchup of the Armed Forces Classic.
The game, which was announced Thursday, will take place Nov. 4, 2025, and air on ESPN.
“We want to do as much as we possibly can, both personally and team-wise, to support our armed forces,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said in a statement. “I’m glad we’re getting the opportunity to go overseas and have many of our military members see us play in person. I know it’ll be an experience of a lifetime for everyone in our program.”
“We are extremely thankful to be selected for the 2025 Armed Forces Classic,” Louisville coach Jeff Walz said in a statement. “It will be an incredible experience for our players and staff to play in front of some of our nation’s heroes overseas. We look forward to the opportunity to showcase women’s basketball on an international stage.”
Previous iterations of the Armed Forces Classic, which debuted in 2012, took place in South Korea, Puerto Rico, Japan, Hawaii, Texas, Alaska and San Diego.
Ramstein previously hosted the event in 2012 (UConn men vs. Michigan State) and 2017 (Texas A&M vs. West Virginia).
The matchup is the latest example of premier women’s college basketball programs opening their seasons with highly anticipated international games. Earlier this week USC–Ole Miss and UCLA-Louisville faced off in Oui-Play in Paris.
UConn and Louisville opened their 2024-25 campaigns ranked No. 2 and No. 17 in the country, respectively.