November 3, 2025
South Carolina Gamecocks, Oklahoma Sooners to participate in Oui Play in Paris in 2026
The Gamecocks will go up against Maryland, and Oklahoma will meet North Carolina
The SEC will be well represented in Paris, France in 2026.
Continue reading with a subscription to The Next
Get unlimited access to women’s basketball coverage and help support our hardworking staff of writers, editors, and photographers by subscribing today.
Already a member?
Login
The South Carolina Gamecocks and the Oklahoma Sooners will take part in the annual Oui Play event in the City of Lights next year. This will mark the first time the Gamecocks have been in Paris since the tournament’s inaugural event in 2023. South Carolina will face off against Maryland at the Adidas Arena on Nov. 2, and the teams will be joined by North Carolina and Oklahoma.
Next year’s games will also mark the first time Oklahoma has participated in Oui Play in the history of the event. “Our program is honored to be invited to play in Paris to open next season,” head coach Jennie Baranczyk said in a statement. “We’re so grateful to Joe Castiglione and our incredible administration for helping make this opportunity a reality. To represent the University of Oklahoma on the international stage and start a new season together in Paris is something we’ll always remember.”
The game will also be something of a homecoming for the Sooners’ Daffa Cissoko, who is from Draveil, the outer suburbs of Paris and approximately 45 minutes away from the Adidas Arena. Oklahoma is 9-6 in games played outside the United States, and this will mark their first game in Europe.
This year’s Oui Play games featured No. 16 ranked Baylor, who defeated No. 7 ranked Duke 58-52, and No. 19 Vanderbilt, who beat Cal 75-65. In 2024, Louisville played UCLA and Mississippi went head-to-head with USC.
The event has enjoyed the benefits of an increased interest in collegiate women’s basketball since its inception three years ago, and has evolved into a double-header played in the 8,000-capacity arena.
In 2024, UCLA’s coach Cori Close described Oui Play as “the preeminent opening event in women’s college basketball.” She noted that, “there will be elite competition and intentional, educational, and cultural opportunities for our young women. It sets the stage for what we want to accomplish on the court, and it’s a mission-minded experience at the same time.”
The IX Basketball, a 24/7/365 women’s basketball newsroom powered by The Next
The IX Basketball: A basketball newsroom brought to you by The IX Sports. 24/7/365 women’s basketball coverage, written, edited and photographed by our young, diverse staff and dedicated to breaking news, analysis, historical deep dives and projections about the game we love.
