NBA Cup 2026: Schedule, groups, format and what to know for this year's in-season tournament

The 2026 NBA Cup, the league's in-season tournament, kicks off on Friday. To prepare for this exciting event, here's what you need to know.

Group play begins on October 30 and continues until November 27. Each of the 30 teams in the NBA will be randomly assigned to a group of five based on their regular season records. This creates three divisions in each conference, with each team playing four group-play games, two at home and two on the road. The formula for group play remains the same as previous years.

The schedule for the group play is as follows:

Friday, Oct. 30: Charlotte vs. Washington, Detroit at Brooklyn, Orlando at Toronto, New York vs. Philadelphia, Chicago at Boston, Indiana at Miami, Houston at Dallas, LA Clippers at Minnesota, Denver at Phoenix, LA Lakers at Golden State

Friday, Nov. 6: Boston at Charlotte, Washington at Atlanta, Philadelphia at Cleveland, Toronto at Milwaukee, Utah at Dallas, Oklahoma City at Memphis, Minnesota at New Orleans, San Antonio at Sacramento, Portland at LA Lakers

Friday, Nov. 13: Milwaukee at Orlando, New York at Indiana, Cleveland at Miami, Atlanta at Chicago, Memphis at New Orleans, Utah at Houston, Golden State at San Antonio, Portland at Sacramento, Oklahoma City at LA Clippers

Friday, Nov. 20: Charlotte at Atlanta, Toronto at Detroit, Orlando at Brooklyn, Indiana at Cleveland, Washington at Chicago, New Orleans at Oklahoma City, Phoenix at Utah, Houston at Denver, Sacramento at LA Lakers

Tuesday, Nov. 24: Detroit at Orlando, Boston at Washington, Dallas at Denver

Wednesday, Nov. 25: Miami at Philadelphia, Chicago at Charlotte, Cleveland at New York, Minnesota at Oklahoma City, Brooklyn at Milwaukee, LA Clippers at Memphis, Phoenix at Houston, San Antonio at Portland, Sacramento at Golden State

Friday, Nov. 27: Miami at New York, Milwaukee at Detroit, Brooklyn at Toronto, Philadelphia at Indiana, Atlanta at Boston, Memphis at Minnesota, Dallas at Phoenix, Denver at Utah, New Orleans at LA Clippers, LA Lakers at San Antonio

The knockout stage, featuring the eight teams that advance from group play, will be a single-elimination tournament. Quarterfinals are scheduled for December 4 and 5, semifinals on December 8 and/or 9, and the championship on December 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.