NBL26 to Ignite with new in-season tournament

Adelaide 36ers fans have extra reason to get excited for NBL26 with two extra home games as part of a longer overall season featuring a new in-season tournament. 

The NBL Ignite Cup will see each team play two home and two road games before a Grand Final to be played in February.

It means each NBL side will play at least 33 games this season, up from 29 in NBL25.

The great news is that the 36ers will play 16 games in front of the most passionate fans in the league at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

The side has sold out its past 21 games at the venue and in NBL25 eclipsed its membership record for a fifth straight season.

With the recent signings of reigning NBL MVP Bryce Cotton and fan-favourite Montrezl Harrell to complement a host of local stars including DJ Vasiljevic and Isaac Humpries, the Entertainment Centre is again expected to be rocking.

It means getting a membership is the best value way to see the 36ers this season, and the only way to assure yourself of a seat.

“We have some of the most loyal and most passionate supporters in the competition, and we are extremely grateful for the way our people get behind our team,” said Chief Corporate & Consumer Revenue Officer Ben Demertzis.

“We’ve seen our membership base continue to grow year-on-year, which is a testament to that loyalty and an indication of what we think is the best game-day experience in the NBL.

“It’s really exciting to have two extra home games this season because our players love playing in front of our fans.

“We know life is busy and people find it hard to get to every game, so we’ve ensured we have four and seven game memberships as well as the full 16-game option.”

As part of the NBL Ignite Cup there will be a new points system with teams earning three points for every win and one point if they score the most each quarter.

Points will count towards deciding the cup’s finalists as well as towards the regular season ladder.

The NBL Ignite Cup’s winner will earn a $300,000 pay day with $100,000 going to the runner up, making it the biggest prize pool in NBL history.

The Adelaide 36ers will host reigning champions Illawarra and Cairns at the Entertainment Centre while taking on Sydney and Brisbane away in its four Ignite Cup games, with dates and times for those games to be announced soon.

The full fixture release is expected in coming days.

Given the demand for reserved seat full-season memberships, existing NBL25 members will be given the first opportunity to renew or change their membership for NBL26, however four and seven-game memberships are open to those who were not members last season.

Get more information at our Membership hub.