The final of the Emirates NBA Cup 2026 is on Friday, December 11, 2026, at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, according to the league's guide to the tournament.
Key dates
| Stage | Dates | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Group play | October 30 to November 27 | Team arenas |
| Quarterfinals | December 4 and 5 | Home arenas of the higher seeds |
| Semifinals | December 8, December 9 or both | Home arenas of the higher seeds |
| Championship | December 11 | Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis |
The remaining group nights on the league schedule are November 13, 20, 24, 25 and 27. The league's guide to the tournament says every game in the knockout rounds will be streamed on Prime.
How teams reach the knockout rounds
All 30 teams were drawn into six groups of five, three groups in each conference. Each team plays the other four teams in its group once. The team with the best record in each group advances, along with one wild card from each conference, which is the second-place team with the best record in group games.
Ties are broken first by the head-to-head result in group play, then by point differential, then by total points scored. Points scored in overtime do not count toward the last two.
Do the games count?
Group games, quarterfinals and semifinals count as regular-season games, so every team still plays 82. The championship does not count toward a team's record or toward player statistics.
Past winners
| Season | Final |
|---|---|
| 2025-26 | New York Knicks beat San Antonio Spurs, 124-113 |
| 2024-25 | Milwaukee Bucks beat Oklahoma City Thunder, 97-81 |
| 2023-24 | Los Angeles Lakers beat Indiana Pacers, 123-109 |
The results come from the league's history page.
This page will be updated at this address when group play ends on November 27 and the eight knockout teams are set, and again after each knockout round.