Planning the NBL Season
The NBL calendar spans two calendar years, so a season name and a year-based search can describe different things. The 2026–27 campaign is also called NBL27. Its preparation games and opening league fixtures take place in 2026, while later league games and the Cup Finals extend into 2027. Use the season heading and full dates on this page to distinguish those events from the Finals played earlier in 2026.
Read confirmed dates alongside the published fixture
The timeline brings together fixture ranges and separately announced event dates. A published fixture range means the first and last games currently listed for that part of the season. It does not imply that there is a game on every day between them. Open the linked schedule to see individual opponents, tip-off times and venues before choosing a date to attend.
Some milestones have a confirmed date before individual matchups are available. A Cup Finals weekend, for example, can be announced before its qualifiers are known. Other stages may still be awaiting a fixture announcement. Those entries remain marked “To be announced”. A previous season's calendar is useful history, but it is not a substitute for a confirmed date in the current season.
Preseason, the Blitz and Opening Night
Preparation games come before the league campaign
Club warm-up games and the NBL Blitz help teams prepare for the regular season. The preseason schedule includes both, with a stage filter if you want to focus on one type of game. These results do not add wins to the regular-season ladder. Clubs can use preparation games to test rotations, so a preseason result should be read in that context.
The 2026 Blitz ran from 2 to 6 September at Red Energy Arena in Bendigo. The official Blitz event guide identifies the venue and format. Our Blitz page brings together results, final standings and quarter-point explanations. It remains separate from the Ignite Cup, which uses designated league games and its own Finals stage.
Opening night begins a different competition phase
The NBL27 schedule announcement set opening night for 19 September 2026. The fixture range above follows the published regular-season games. Use the full NBL schedule to browse that fixture, or the weekly schedule when you want a shorter view. A date range is a planning aid; the individual game card is the place to check a specific matchup.
HoopsFest and the Ignite Cup
HoopsFest brings a concentrated run of basketball to Perth. The published 2027 event announcement gives 13–17 January as the festival dates. The wider festival includes more than the NBL, so this site's fixture links focus on the NBL games. Check the official programme when planning other activities or buying a package that covers several events.
Cup league games lead to a separate Finals weekend
The Ignite Cup league-stage entry shows the range of designated games in the published fixture. Its Finals dates come from the official NBL27 Cup guide: semi-finals on 19 February 2027 and the final on 21 February at AIS Arena in Canberra. Those event dates do not identify the qualifying clubs. Follow the Cup page for results, remaining opponents and the points breakdown.
Dates, Time Zones and Travel
Calendar milestones retain the date used at the event venue. Selecting a different time zone changes individual game times, but it should not move an announced weekend to a different calendar date. Perth and Sydney do not always share the same clock offset, and daylight saving affects some Australian states. Read the time-zone label on the fixture rather than assuming every Australian tip-off is shown in Sydney time.
Before booking travel, check the official event or club link for venue confirmation, ticket conditions and any fixture changes. A potential deciding Finals game may not be needed if a series finishes earlier. The Finals page separates current announcements from labelled previous results. The timeline helps organise the season; official match and ticket notices provide the details for attending a particular game.
NBL Season Dates FAQs
What does NBL27 mean?
It is the league's name for the 2026–27 season. Games in that campaign span 2026 and 2027, so always check the full date.
Does a fixture range mean games are played every day?
No. It marks the first and last published games in that phase. Open the fixture list for the actual playing dates.
Why are some Finals dates marked to be announced?
A current-season fixture has not been confirmed in the information available here. Previous Finals dates are kept in their own season and are not reused as predictions.
Will changing my time zone change event dates?
Individual tip-off times change to your selected zone. Announced calendar milestones retain their venue dates so the event weekend remains recognisable.