College basketball has entered a new era of early-season tournaments designed to give big programs big opportunities to make big dollars. And nothing says big dollars like taking games overseas to play in one of the wealthiest places in the world, Dubai.

Some of the charm of college basketball is quickly falling by the wayside, sacrificed for the brand-new glitz and glamour of the NIL era. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; players are finally cashing in after decades of being restricted in their trade.

But along the way, we’ve seen things like the Players Era Festival greatly surpass the Maui Invitational in size and influence. And the more neutral-site games and tournaments we see, the fewer times we get to see major programs do battle on campus.

But it’s one thing to play in Las Vegas or Madison Square Garden, or even the Bahamas or Maui. It’s quite another to go all the way to the Middle East.

According to intrepid college basketball reporter Jon Rothstein, the next major college basketball tournament is on its way to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The Royal Palm Invitational is set for November 2026, with multiple power conference teams expected to take part.

Sources: The Royal Palm Invitational — a new early season tournament in college basketball — will debut in Dubai in November of 2026.

Multiple power conference teams are expected to be involved.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) December 4, 2025

The UAE has not come anywhere close to the Saudi Arabian government’s sportswashing efforts when it comes to investing in international sporting events. However, Abu Dhabi will host the final race of the Formula 1 season this weekend once again.

An entry into college basketball seems like a weird choice to begin breaking into the American sports scene, but perhaps it’s as simple as following the money. Much like Saudi Arabia has done with golf and WWE, they found the sports and entertainment properties most eager to chase a buck, no matter what. Right now, that is most definitely college athletics. And if the UAE is serious about this tournament, it could make the Players Era look like the vintage Great Alaskan Shootout in terms of the potential payout.

With private equity efforts in college sports increasing too quickly to generate a profit, programs cashing in with a tournament in Dubai shouldn’t really surprise anyone. There are no limits anymore to the lengths that people in college sports will go to generate revenue, even if it means flying their teams halfway across the world to do so.