Though the 2024-25 season has barely begun, UConn women’s basketball is already set to open its 2025-26 schedule in historic fashion. The program announced Thursday it will play its first game next year on Nov. 4 against Louisville in the Armed Forces Classic on the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
The Huskies and Cardinals will be the first women’s teams to play a game in the classic, which has been a men’s basketball event since it debuted in 2012. The former Big East rivals will go head-to-head on the air base, which serves as the European headquarters for the U.S. Air Force. Owned and operated by ESPN Events, the Armed Forces Classic was created as part of the network’s annual America’s Heroes: Salute to Veteran’s initiative, which dedicates a week of multi-platform programming for Veterans Day.
The Armed Forces Classic has been played nine times, twice previously on the Ramstein Air Base in 2012 and 2017. The UConn men’s team played in the inaugural game in 2012, upsetting No. 14 Michigan State as an unranked squad in Kevin Ollie’s first season. Games have also been held over the last decade on various bases both domestic (California, Alaska, Hawaii, Texas) and international (Korea, Japan, Puerto Rico).
The Huskies will tip off the 2025-26 season in the Armed Forces Classic!
📅 Nov. 4, 2025
🆚 Louisville
📍 Ramstein Air Base, Germany pic.twitter.com/JCDLmwqQVx— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) November 7, 2024
“We want to do as much as we possibly can, both personally and team-wise, to support our armed forces,” head 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.”
UConn and Louisville will also meet during the 2024-25 season on Dec. 7 in the Women’s Champions Classic at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Huskies are 19-3 all-time against the Cardinals and won last season’s matchup 86-62 at the XL Center in Hartford.
