National Basketball Tournament · Orlando, Florida · November 27–29, 2026
9TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL THANKSGIVING SHOWDOWN
Three days. Nine divisions. National and international basketball programs in one building over Thanksgiving weekend in Orlando.
Registration is open. Teams are being accepted now, and divisions fill before the deadline every year.
NOV 27–29
Thanksgiving weekend 2026
Friday through Sunday, in the middle of the holiday break.
9
Divisions
From 4th grade through post-graduate, boys and girls.
3
Games guaranteed
Every team plays at least three, whatever the result.
9TH
Consecutive year
Nine years of programs coming back to Orlando for this weekend.
Top global talent
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE
This isn’t just a tournament. It’s a proving ground.
The Thanksgiving Showdown brings national and international powerhouses together under one roof. The lights are bright, the gym is packed, and the stage is set.
Programs travel here from across the United States and beyond, because this weekend puts athletes in front of the people who decide where they go next. Three days in November have changed the direction of more than a few careers.
If your program wants a real test before the season gets serious, this is where you get it.
Enter your team
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Are you ready to compete in one of the country’s top Thanksgiving basketball events? Join The Academy of Central Florida as it hosts its 9th Annual International Thanksgiving Showdown in Orlando, Florida.
REGISTRATION FEES
4th Grade — $400 per team, plus processing fees
6th and 8th Grade — $450 per team, plus processing fees
High School and Post-Grad — $480 per team, plus processing fees
Three games guaranteed for every team entered.
BOYS DIVISIONS
4th Grade
6th Grade
8th Grade
Junior Varsity
Varsity Sunshine
Varsity Regional
Varsity National
Post-Graduate
GIRLS DIVISIONS
Varsity
CONFIRM WHETHER MORE GIRLS DIVISIONS ARE AVAILABLE FOR 2026. One girls division against eight boys divisions is visible here and a girls coach will notice it.
DATES AND VENUE
November 27–29, 2026
Game Point Event Center
6700 Kingspointe Pkwy
Orlando, FL 32819
Twenty minutes from Orlando International Airport, and inside the Thanksgiving holiday week — so travelling families get a tournament and a break in the same trip.
The 2026 schedule is released once divisions close. Register your team and we will send it to you directly.
What to expect
WHY PROGRAMS TRAVEL FOR THIS
Nine years in, coaches keep bringing teams back for the same three reasons.
THE COMPETITION IS REAL
National and international programs across nine divisions. Whatever level your team plays at, there is a bracket that will test it — and nobody travels to Orlando in November to go through the motions.
THE RIGHT PEOPLE ARE WATCHING
November is when college coaches are paying attention. A packed gym with this many programs in it is the most efficient weekend of exposure an athlete will get all season.
ORLANDO IN NOVEMBER
A purpose-built event centre twenty minutes from the airport, in a city built for visiting families, during the one week of the year everyone already has off.
Last year's Showdown
THE GYM WAS FULL
November 27–29, 2026 · Orlando, Florida
BRING YOUR TEAM TO ORLANDO
Nine divisions. Three guaranteed games. National and international programs in one building over Thanksgiving weekend. Divisions fill before the deadline every year — enter now.
Hosted by The Academy of Central Florida · info@theacademycfl.com · Game Point Event Center, 6700 Kingspointe Pkwy, Orlando, FL 32819