Emirates NBA Cup 2026

The Groups

All 30 teams are drawn into six groups of five within their conference, seeded from the 2025-26 standings. Each team plays its four group rivals once — two at home, two on the road.

Cup Nights

Group Play runs on seven designated Cup Nights: Fri Oct 30, Fri Nov 6, Fri Nov 13, Fri Nov 20, Tue Nov 24, Wed Nov 25 and Fri Nov 27. Every Cup game except the championship also counts in the regular-season standings.

Who Advances

The six group winners reach the Knockout Rounds, plus one wild card per conference — the second-place team with the best group-play record. Eight teams, single elimination.

The Tiebreakers

• Head-to-head record
• Point differential (overtime excluded — an OT game counts as zero)
• Total points scored (overtime excluded)
• 2025-26 regular-season record
• Random drawing

Margin matters — a November blowout can be worth a knockout spot.

The Knockouts

Quarterfinals on Dec 4–5 and semifinals on Dec 8–9 are hosted by the higher seed — new for 2026. Before this year, the semifinals and final sat at a neutral site in Las Vegas.

The Final

Friday, December 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis — Butler University's storied gym — streaming on Prime Video. It's the only Cup game that doesn't count in the standings. Defending champion: the New York Knicks.