For fans of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), based on the league's 2026 season information. Covers the Target Score ending, rosters and Canadian player rules, Signing Day, the season, playoffs and tie-breakers.
The first time the game clock is stopped with 4:00 or less left in the 4th quarter, timed play ends and a Target Score is set. The Target Score is the leading team's score plus nine.
Example: if the score is 77-71 at that stoppage, the Target Score is 86. The first team to reach it wins the game.
The shot clock stays in use for the whole 4th quarter, as it normally would. The Target Score is shown on each end of the court and on the broadcast.
The CEBL lists these intentions for Target Score:
There must always be two Canadians among the five players on the floor. The CEBL says nearly 70 per cent of its rosters are Canadian, the highest share of domestic talent in any professional sports league in the country, and 17 players with NBA experience played in 2025. Players also come from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian national team program, NCAA programs, U SPORTS and the CCAA.
In 2026 the CEBL introduced CEBL Signing Day, replacing its Entry Draft. It builds on the league's partnership with U SPORTS (since 2019) and the CCAA, and is meant to give Canadian student-athletes a more direct and flexible pathway from post-secondary basketball to the professional level.
The old Entry Draft was held each spring over three rounds, with teams picking eligible U SPORTS and CCAA athletes in reverse order of the prior season's standings. The final draft was held in 2025.
The CEBL does not hold open tryouts. Players and agents can submit eligibility at cebl.ca/playerprofiles to connect with coaches and general managers.
In 2026 each team plays a 24-game regular season (120 regular season games in total) and up to five playoff games, after an eight-day training camp. The season runs from May to August. The league expanded from 20 to 24 games in 2025.
There are 10 teams across six provinces:
The 2026 CEBL playoffs have a new in-market format.
This replaced the single-elimination Championship Weekend with a host team.
When two or more clubs are tied in the final conference standings at the end of the regular season, preferential ranking for playoff purposes goes to the club that, in this order:
With a tie of three or more teams, the criteria are applied one after another until all tied teams are ranked.
From 2019 to 2025, Championship Weekend was an annual event in one host city featuring four finalists, including the host team. It had two Conference Final games and the CEBL Championship Game, along with the CEBL Awards and other events. Host cities were Saskatoon (2019), Edmonton (2021), Ottawa (2022), Vancouver (2023), Montreal (2024) and Winnipeg (2025).
In 2026 the CEBL moved to an in-market playoff format with a best-of-three CEBL Finals instead.