NBL 2026-27 season: schedule, teams and finals
Ten teams, 33 games each and a play-in before the finals. How the NBL27 season is built, when it ends and how it differs from the NBA.
The 2026-27 National Basketball League season, NBL27 in the league's own shorthand, started on Saturday 19 September 2026 when Melbourne United hosted the Adelaide 36ers at John Cain Arena. The regular season runs until 14 February 2027. A play-in follows in February, and the semi-finals and the championship series are played in March.
When does the NBL season start and finish?
The NBL plays through the Australian spring and summer, so it overlaps the cricket rather than the football codes. This season's key dates:
| Stage | Dates |
|---|---|
| NBL Blitz (pre-season, Bendigo) | 2 to 6 September 2026 |
| Regular season | 19 September 2026 to 14 February 2027 |
| Ignite Cup | 30 September 2026 to 21 February 2027 |
| Break for FIBA qualifiers | 23 November to 1 December 2026 |
| Play-in | February 2027 |
| Semi-finals and championship series | March 2027 |
The league stops twice for FIBA World Cup qualifying windows, as the Boomers and New Zealand's Tall Blacks both draw players from it. The second break, from 22 February to 2 March, sits between the play-in and the semi-finals.
The ten teams
There are ten clubs, the same as last season: nine in Australia and one in New Zealand. Melbourne has two, and they share a home court.
| Team | Home venue |
|---|---|
| Adelaide 36ers | Adelaide Entertainment Centre |
| Brisbane Bullets | Brisbane Entertainment Centre |
| Cairns Taipans | Cairns Convention Centre |
| Illawarra Hawks | Wollongong Entertainment Centre |
| Melbourne United | John Cain Arena |
| New Zealand Breakers | Spark Arena, Auckland |
| Perth Wildcats | Perth Arena |
| South East Melbourne Phoenix | John Cain Arena |
| Sydney Kings | Sydney SuperDome |
| Tasmania JackJumpers | Derwent Entertainment Centre, Hobart, and Launceston |
Four clubs changed coach in the off-season: Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne United and the Breakers. Brian Goorjian is still in charge of Sydney.
How does the NBL season work?
Each team plays 33 regular-season games, 165 in all over 21 rounds. Rounds are loose: a team might play twice in one week and not at all the next. Wins decide the ladder.
Running alongside the regular season is the Ignite Cup, an in-season tournament that gives mid-season games something extra to play for. It runs from 30 September to 21 February.
How do the NBL finals work?
Six of the ten teams reach the finals. The top two go straight into the semi-finals. The next four play a short play-in:
- Third plays fourth. The winner takes on second in a semi-final.
- Fifth plays sixth. The loser is out.
- The loser of third against fourth hosts the winner of fifth against sixth, and the winner of that game meets first.
Both semi-finals are best of three. The championship series is best of five, with the higher seed hosting games one, three and five. This format has been in place since the 2022-23 season.
How is the NBL different from the NBA?
The NBL plays under FIBA rules, the same rules used at the Olympics and the World Cup. Games are 40 minutes, four quarters of ten, against 48 in the NBA. The three-point line is closer to the basket, 6.75 metres at the top of the arc against 7.24 metres in the NBA. The season is also shorter, at 33 games against 82.
Each club can sign a limited number of imports, which is why the rosters mix Australian and New Zealand players with Americans and Europeans. The Next Stars program lets young prospects spend a season in the league before the NBA draft, and it has sent several players to the NBA.
Where to watch NBL27
Every game is on ESPN through Foxtel and Kayo, and streams on Disney+. Nine shows selected games free-to-air on 9Go! and 9Now, and NBL TV streams games for viewers outside Australia. In New Zealand, Sky Sport carries the league.
What else is on this summer
The NBL sits in a crowded season. The Big Bash League starts in December, the A-League Men is under way, and the spring racing carnival peaks with the Melbourne Cup on 3 November. The sports calendar has the full year.
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