Canberra is getting the biggest weekend on the NBL calendar.
Australia's capital has been confirmed as host of the league's Ignite Cup Finals for the 2026-27 season -- with the deciding games featuring a new format -- as well as the annual Andrew Gaze MVP Awards evening, with both events set to be held in the same city within a single week.
In partnership with the ACT Government, the Ignite Cup Finals will adopt a Final Four format, with the top four teams playing semifinals action on Friday, February 19, before the decider on Sunday, February 21. The four teams will qualify via the Ignite Cup -- the in-season tournament that runs 20 Wednesday-night games through the NBL regular season, with results once again counting toward the ladder -- before meeting in Canberra to compete for a $550,000 prize pool, comfortably the biggest in league history.
The games will be played at AIS Arena, capping off a busy stretch on the NBL calendar. The league's awards night -- the "Gazeys" -- will be held at the Great Hall in Parliament House earlier in the week, marking the first time the event has been staged outside Melbourne in more than a decade.
The inaugural Ignite Cup was introduced last year, ahead of the 2025-26 NBL season, and was won by the New Zealand Breakers.
"The Ignite Cup has quickly become one of the standout innovations in the NBL, bringing knockout intensity into the Hungry Jack's NBL regular season and creating must-watch basketball every Wednesday night," NBL Group CEO David Stevenson said.
"Introducing a Final Four series and bringing it to Canberra is a fantastic evolution of the competition. Fans will experience a festival of basketball, with the best teams battling it out over one incredible weekend for the biggest prize pool in NBL history."
Canberra has long been among the league office's preferred destinations for expansion, sources told ESPN, with that sentiment reinforced when the 2025 NBL Blitz -- held in the nation's capital -- sold out every session at AIS Arena.
Notably, this announcement comes shortly after significant progress was made on the potential of a new National Convention and Entertainment Centre, with $31.1 million recently committed toward planning and design work of the precinct.
"This is a slam dunk for Canberra and a great example of what's possible when we build strong, genuine partnerships with national sporting codes," ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said.
"It is a strategic investment that supports not only our T2030 goal of growing visitor spend by $1 billion by 2030, but also our 2024 election commitment to work with the NBL on bringing elite men's basketball back to Canberra.
"This partnership shows we're well and truly in the game when it comes to that goal and we thank David Stevenson and his team at the NBL for their continued confidence in Canberra."
ACT Minister for Sport and Recreation Chris Steel pointed to the city's expanding basketball infrastructure as evidence of the city's response to the interest in the sport, with the Belconnen Basketball Stadium set for an expansion of its own.
"Canberrans love their basketball and it's great to see the NBL backing that in. What a fantastic outcome for the ACT," Steel said.
"Bringing the Ignite Cup Finals to Canberra will further enhance our city's reputation as the destination for major sporting events.
"Events like this inspire the next generation to get involved in the sport and in February, Canberrans can watch their sporting heroes compete right here in their own city.
"Basketball in Canberra is only getting bigger, that's why we're also investing to expand the Belconnen Basketball Stadium to host bigger games on state-of-the-art courts."
The 2026-27 NBL season tips off on September 19, with every game broadcast live on ESPN.