If all you’re looking for is the dates of the Cup Nights, Knockout Nights and the Championship, without the full schedule breakdown, here’s the quick reference version of the Emirates NBA Cup calendar: seven Cup Nights, two knockout nights and one championship in just six weeks.
“In one line: The 2026 Emirates NBA Cup has been scheduled for group stages Oct. 30 to Nov. 27, and will feature quarterfinals on Dec. 4-5, semifinals on Dec. 8-9 and the championship on Dec. 11, all at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.” Here are all the dates, one at a time and listed by date.
| # | Date | Milestone |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fri, Oct. 30, 2026 | Group play begins — every group’s first Cup Night |
| 2 | Fri, Nov. 6, 2026 | Cup Night 2 |
| 3 | Fri, Nov. 13, 2026 | Cup Night 3 |
| 4 | Fri, Nov. 20, 2026 | Cup Night 4 |
| 5 | Tue, Nov. 24, 2026 | Thanksgiving-week Cup Night |
| 6 | Wed, Nov. 25, 2026 | Thanksgiving-week Cup Night |
| 7 | Fri, Nov. 27, 2026 | Final group-stage night — group winners and wild cards decided |
| 8 | Fri-Sat, Dec. 4-5, 2026 | Quarterfinals (4 games, hosted by higher seeds) |
| 9 | Tue-Wed, Dec. 8-9, 2026 | Semifinals (2 games, hosted by higher seeds) |
| 10 | Fri, Dec. 11, 2026 | Championship — Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis |
Group play begins October 30: The first match for each of the six groups will be played on the same evening with all match results in the group stage counting double: towards the group stage table and towards the Cup table.
The group stage comes to an end on November 27: This is the date that determines the entire knockout field: three winners of each conference in the group-play, plus one wild card per conference, totaling eight teams, who are seeded and the quarterfinal matchups are set immediately after the group-play buzzer.
December 4-5 — Quarterfinals: New for 2026: the first knockout round now features a home team advantage as these games are now played at the higher seed’s home arena, not a neutral location.
December 8-9 — Semifinals: The event, which will feature an away team format, has been moved away from neutral venues as seen in previous tournaments to the higher seed’s home venue in 2026.
December 11 — Championship: The one date on the calendar that will stand alone is a tournament matchup at a pre-announced, neutral site for 2026 (Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis), with the only Cup matchup all season that will not impact either of the two finalists regular-season records.
The final quarterfinal matchups and the exact day (Dec. 8 or Dec. 9) each semifinal will be a specific day won’t be finalized until group play concludes Nov. 27. Both with the group standings and the wild-card races, the league confirms.
Once you know the calendar, it’s a given that it’s step two — and Sports OKBet is there for all Filipino bettors at a licensed platform for all dates above!
The 2026 Emirates NBA Cup runs from first tip-off to the trophy, with seven Cup Nights to determine group stage winners, two knockout dates to hone in on the two, and one neutral venue final to crown the champion. Please make sure to mark this calendar and, if you are betting any of these dates, it’s on an authorized betting site for the Philippines. Sports OKBet offers odds on all the dates listed here for the live NBA Cup.
It’s the date that is closing the group play and determines the entire knockout field of eight teams for the entire knockout round, group winners and wild cards included – November 27th.
Friday, December 11, 2026 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Seven: October 30, November 6, 13, 20, 24, 25 and 27.
The dates of the quarterfinal and semifinal games (Dec. 4-5 and 8-9) are fixed on the official league schedule, while the matchups and the actual dates for the semifinals are determined by bracket formation and group play.
Yes — the group draw itself, which was a group of 6 groups with prior-season seeding pots, occurred prior to the season and is final.
