UConn and Louisville meet in the first women’s basketball edition of the Armed Forces Classic

UConn and Louisville will kick off the 2025-26 season at Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany, appearing in the first-ever women’s college basketball matchup in the Armed Forces Classic.

The game announced Thursday will take place on November 4, 2025 and will be broadcast on ESPN.

“We want to do as much as we can, both personally and as a team, to support our Armed Forces,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said in a statement. “I’m glad we get the opportunity to go overseas and have a lot of our military members come see us play in person. I know it will be an unforgettable experience for everyone in our program.”

“We are extremely grateful 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 abroad in front of some of our country’s heroes. We look forward to the opportunity to showcase women’s basketball on an international stage.”

Previous editions of the Armed Forces Classic, which debuted in 2012, have taken 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 top women’s college basketball programs opening their seasons with highly anticipated international play. Earlier this week, USC-Ole Miss and UCLA-Louisville faced off in the Oui Play in Paris.

UConn and Louisville opened their 2024-25 seasons ranked No. 2 and No. 17 in the country.