How Does the NBA Cup Work? Everything to Know About the 2026 In-Season Tournament

Dec 16, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speak during the Emirates NBA Cup trophy presentation at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images The fourth Emirates NBA Cup is taking place beginning on Friday, Oct. 30. This league-wide tournament has been a terrific way to give these early October/November regular season games more meaning. In what would normally be a lull in NBA action while teams get acquainted with a new season, all 30 teams get to compete for a cash prize (about $594 million per player on the championship team).Here are the previous championship matchups:2025 - New York Knicks over San Antonio Spurs2024 - Milwaukee Bucks over Oklahoma City Thunder2023 - Los Angeles Lakers over Indiana PacersThe NBA Cup consists of two stages: Group Play and the Knockout Rounds. The Championship Game will be played on Friday, Dec. 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.Group PlayAll 30 teams have randomly been drawn into groups of five within their conference based on their records from last year’s regular season. Starting on Oct. 30, each team will play four designated Group Play games on “Cup Nights”, which is every Friday in November, plus Tuesday, Nov. 24 and Wednesday, Nov. 25. Every team will play one game against each opponent in its group - two games at home and two on the road.Here are the six groups.West Group ADenver NuggetsHouston RocketsPhoenix SunsDallas MavericksUtah JazzWest Group BOklahoma City ThunderMinnesota TimberwolvesLos Angeles ClippersNew Orleans PelicansMemphis GrizzliesWest Group CSan Antonio SpursLos Angeles LakersPortland Trail BlazersGolden State WarriorsSacramento KingsEast Group ADetroit PistonsToronto RaptorsOrlando MagicMilwaukee BucksBrooklyn NetsEast Group BNew York KnicksCleveland CavaliersPhiladelphia 76ersMiami HeatIndiana PacersEast Group CBoston CelticsAtlanta HawksCharlotte HornetsChicago BullsWashington WizardsIf two or more teams are tied within a group, the tiebreaker will be broken in this sequential order:Head-to-head record in Group PlayPoint differential in Group PlayTotal points scored in Group PlayRecord from the 2025-26 NBA regular seasonRandom drawingOvertime scoring does not count towards point differential and tiebreakers in the Cup. A team’s differential will be “0” in Group Play games that go to overtime, and their total points scored will not include points scored in overtime.Knockout RoundsEight teams will advance to the Knockout Rounds (four from each conference). The team with the best finish in each group, plus two “wild cards” (the team from each conference with the best record in Group Play that finished second in its group).The Knockout Rounds will consist of single-elimination games in the Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Championship. The Quarterfinals (Friday, Dec. 4 and Saturday, Dec. 5) and Semifinals (Tuesday, Dec. 8 and/or Wednesday, Dec. 9) are played in NBA team markets, with each game played at the home arena of the higher-seeded team from Group Play.The teams that advance to the Knockout Rounds all compete for a prize pool and the NBA Cup Championship trophy. All games in the NBA Cup will count toward the regular season standings, besides the final Championship game.Prizing and League HonorsThe NBA Cup prize pool will be distributed to the players on Knockout Round teams, with the money depending on how far a team advances in the tournament.A media panel will select the Most Valuable Player of the NBA Cup and the All-Tournament Team of five players. Selection will be based on the players’ performance in both Group Play and the Knockout Rounds.