How does the NBA Cup work? Format, groups and schedule for the 2026 tournament

Who will win the fourth edition of the Emirates NBA Cup?

Introduced in the 2023-24 campaign as an in-season tournament, the NBA Cup offers teams and players an extra shot to lift a trophy, along with cash bonuses based on performance.

The Los Angeles Lakers won the first ever edition of the event, the Milwaukee Bucks took down the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2024-25 NBA Cup Final and the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in an NBA Cup Final that doubled as an NBA Finals preview.

There will be new team jerseys, fresh colorful courts and a run to the final that will be played in a new location.

Here's everything to know about how the tournament works, the schedule and how to watch.

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When does the NBA Cup start?

This year's tournament will begin on Friday, Oct. 30.

Most group stage games will be played on Fridays through Nov. 27, with additional contests on Nov. 24-25 before Thanksgiving.

The knockout rounds, starting with the quarterfinals, will begin on Dec. 4 and 5.

The semifinals and final were previously held in Las Vegas, but the league switched things up this year. Semifinals will be held at higher seeds' home arenas and the final will be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The full schedule can be found here.

How does the NBA Cup work?

The NBA Cup has a similar format to the World Cup, with group play and a knockout round.

All 30 teams will compete in group play, having been placed into six groups of five teams within their conference. Teams face each of their group opponents once for a total of four group play games, two at home and two on the road.

If two or more teams are tied within a group, the following tiebreakers are used:

• Head-to-head record in group play
• Point differential in group play
• Total points scored in group play
• Record from the 2025-26 NBA regular season
• Random drawing (in the unlikely scenario that two or more teams are still tied following the previous tiebreakers)

Eight teams advance to the single-elimination knockout rounds: the top team in each of the six groups and a wild-card team in each conference that's awarded to the second-place finisher with the best overall record. Wild card tiebreakers follow the same tiebreaker sequence but begin with point differential.

Winning teams advance to the semifinals and then final.

Teams entered the season with only 80 scheduled games. The 22 teams that do not advance to the knockout round will play two regular-season games during tournament off nights on Dec. 6-7 and Dec. 9-10. The four teams that lose in the quarterfinals will play a regular-season game on either the Dec. 7, 9 or 10.

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What are the groups for the NBA Cup?

The 30 teams were divided into six groups based on records from the 2025-26 regular season.

• Pot 1: The teams with the three best prior-season records in a conference
• Pot 2: The teams with the fourth- through sixth-best prior-season records in a conference
• Pot 3: The teams with the seventh- through ninth-best prior-season records in a conference
• Pot 4: The teams with the 10th-through 12th-best prior-season records in a conference
• Pot 5: The teams with the 13th-through 15th-best prior-season records in a conference

And here are the six groups in total, with three in each conference.

East Group A

• Brooklyn Nets
• Detroit Pistons
• Milwaukee Bucks
• Orlando Magic
• Toronto Raptors

East Group B

• Cleveland Cavaliers
• Indiana Pacers
• Miami Heat
• New York Knicks
• Philadelphia 76ers

East Group C

• Atlanta Hawks
• Boston Celtics
• Charlotte Hornets
• Chicago Bulls
• Washington Wizards

West Group A

• Dallas Mavericks
• Denver Nuggets
• Houston Rockets
• Phoenix Suns
• Utah Jazz

West Group B

• LA Clippers
• Memphis Grizzlies
• Minnesota Timberwolves
• New Orleans Pelicans
• Oklahoma City Thunder

West Group C

• Golden State Warriors
• Los Angeles Lakers
• Portland Trail Blazers
• Sacramento Kings
• San Antonio Spurs

Does the NBA Cup matter?

Define "matter."

All of the games count towards the 82-game regular-season standings, with the exception of the championship game. Teams that advance to the knockout round all receive a share of the prize pool, with teams advancing the furthest getting the largest allotment.

Players on the team that wins the NBA Cup will take home an extra $604,985 each, while the runner-up will receive $241,994 each. Semifinal losers will collect $120,997 each and the quarterfinal losers get $60,499.

The tournament winner also gets bragging rights, a trophy and even celebratory hats and shirts.

The NBA will also name the Most Valuable Player of the In-Season Tournament and the All-Tournament Team.

But, other than tournament games counting towards regular-season win-loss records, the tournament has no impact on the postseason bracket.

Where is the NBA Cup held?

Group play and the knockout rounds of the in-season tournament will be played at each team's respective home arenas.

The NBA Cup Final will take place at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

How to watch the NBA Cup games

Most NBA Cup games will air on Prime Video, NBA League Pass or local stations. Select games will air on NBC and Peacock, as well as ESPN.

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