Want to get a head start on planning your 2026 travel? ESPN Events just announced that the Champions Classic will return to Chicago next season. Kentucky will play Kansas, and Michigan State will play Duke in the doubleheader on Nov. 10, 2026 at the United Center.
Next year will mark the fifth time the Champions Classic has been played in Chicago. The United Center hosted the event in 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2023. Kentucky has only won one of those games, beating Duke in 2015. Kentucky’s most recent game in Chicago was an 89-84 loss to Kansas, one of three losses to the Jayhawks in the event.