NBA Announces Home-Court Semifinals for Emirates NBA Cup Starting in 2026-27
NEW YORK – The National Basketball Association today announced a meaningful change to the format of the Emirates NBA Cup, beginning with the 2026-27 season. Semifinal games will be hosted at the home arena of the higher-seeded team in each conference.
Currently, through the 2025-26 season, both the Semifinals and Championship games of the Emirates NBA Cup are played at a neutral site – T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for the upcoming 2025 season. Starting in 2026-27,the Championship game will remain the sole contest held at a neutral location.
In addition to the Cup format change, the NBA Board of Governors approved an adjustment to the Coach’s Challenge rules. Effective with the 2025-26 season, when reviewing an out-of-bounds violation challenged by a coach, the Replay Centre official will determine if a proximate foul should have been called, rather than the on-court crew chief. This change aims to streamline the replay review process.Last season marked the first instance where NBA referees could assess proximate fouls during a Coach’s Challenge related to an out-of-bounds call. The obligation for this decision is now shifting from the on-court crew chief to the Replay Center official.
The Coach’s Challenge rule modification was unanimously supported by both the NBA Competition Committee and the league office.Fans can catch all the action of the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup starting October 31 on prime Video, as highlighted by Blake Griffin. More data is available at https://www.nba.com/nba-cup/2025.