Everything to Know About the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup: Groups, Schedule and Key Dates

With training camps set to open later this month, it is worth a reminder that the 2026-27 season carries its own midseason tournament again this year. All 30 teams were randomly drawn into six groups of five, split by conference, based on each team’s record from the 2025-26 regular season.

In the West, Group A features the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz. Group B has the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, LA Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies. Group C rounds out the conference with the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings.

In the East, Group A includes the Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets. Group B has the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers. Group C closes it out with the Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards.

Group play runs Oct. 30 and then Nov. 6, 13, 20, 24, 25 and 27. The knockout rounds follow quickly: quarterfinals on Dec. 4-5, semifinals Dec. 8 and/or 9, and the championship game Dec. 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The Cup slots directly into the start of the regular season rather than existing apart from it. Camps open Sept. 22 for teams playing preseason games overseas and Sept. 29 for the rest of the league, the regular season tips off Oct. 20, and Cup group play begins just 10 days later. That means the group-stage games double as real regular-season basketball, wins and losses that count in the standings, while also building toward a separate trophy and a guaranteed neutral-site trip to Indianapolis for whoever wins it. Worth bookmarking now: which group a team lands in, and how favorable or brutal that five-team pool looks, is often the first real storyline of the new season once camp opens and rosters take shape.