Visit Pensacola Named Title Sponsor of Sun Belt Basketball Championships
NEW ORLEANS – The Sun Belt has partnered with Pensacola Sports, the designated sports tourism agency for Escambia County, to make Visit Pensacola the title sponsor of the Sun Belt Basketball Championships and the presenting sponsor of the Sun Belt Football Championship Game.
“The Sun Belt Conference is excited to deepen our relationship with Pensacola and Escambia County,” said Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Keith Gill. “Just as the Pensacola community has embraced the rising brand of the Sun Belt, we look forward to the showcasing The Way to Beach across two of our marquee Sun Belt championship events.”
The city of Pensacola, Fla., will host the 2026-2030 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Basketball Championships, building upon the league’s initial five-year agreement that brought the championships to Pensacola from 2021-2025. During that span, the Sun Belt has grown from 12 to 14 members and earned its first NCAA March Madness victory since 2016, when the No. 12-seeded James Madison men upset No. 5-seeded Wisconsin, 72-61, in 2024. The landmark extension made Pensacola the longest-tenured (2021-2030) and most-frequent (10-time) host of the Sun Belt Basketball Championships all-time.
The Credit Union 1 Sun Belt Football Championship Game presented by Visit Pensacola annually features the champions of the conference’s East and West Divisions and is played at the site of the divisional winner with the best overall conference record. ESPN has televised the game since its inception in 2018.
“Pensacola Sports is thrilled to have been able to facilitate this agreement between the Sun Belt Conference and Escambia County,” said Pensacola Sports President & CEO Ray Palmer. “The opportunity to grow the tremendous relationship with the conference beyond basketball is exciting and promotes our world class destination across their footprint of amazing institutions and beyond. We look forward to welcoming their athletes, students, alumni and fans to Escambia County.”
“We are excited to expand our partnership with the Sun Belt Conference and continue hosting top championship events in Pensacola,” said Visit Pensacola President & CEO Darien Schaefer. “This opportunity not only deepens our dedication to college sports but also enhances our ability to promote Pensacola as The Way to Beach—where top-tier athletics, welcoming hospitality and lively Gulf Coast experiences come together. We’re proud to keep building on this momentum with the Sun Belt Conference.”
The 2025 Credit Union 1 Sun Belt Football Championship Game presented by Visit Pensacola will be contested on Dec. 5, 2025.
The 2026 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Basketball Championships will take place from March 3-9, 2026, with all tournament games being played at the Pensacola Bay Center.
