How did the NBL play-in finals work in NBL26 (the most recent published format)?
- Australia
- NBL
- NBL Rules
- NBL27
- 2026/27
- Fans
- Ignite Cup
- FIBA rules
The NBL's NBL26 finals explainer describes a play-in for the top six teams:
- 1st and 2nd go straight to the Playoffs.
- Seeding Qualifier: 3rd v 4th. The winner advances to a best-of-three Playoff Series against 2nd place.
- Play-In Qualifier: 5th v 6th. The loser of the Seeding Qualifier hosts the winner of this game, and the winner of that game earns a chance to play 1st place in the Playoffs.
- The Championship Series was a best-of-five (Sydney Kings v Adelaide 36ers in NBL26).
This is the NBL26 format. The NBL27 finals format was not in the sources used for this guide.
Source: https://www.nbl.com.au/news/the-nbl26-finals-format-explained
Added 24 Oct 2026