Canberra will become the home of the NBL Ignite Cup Finals and the Andrew Gaze MVP Awards from 2027 after the league announced a landmark partnership with the ACT Government, strengthening the city’s push to eventually secure its own NBL franchise.
In a major evolution of the competition, the Ignite Cup will now conclude with a Final Four format, with the top four teams battling it out across two nights at AIS Arena.
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The semi-finals will be played on Friday, February 19, before the championship game takes place on Sunday, February 21, with the four remaining clubs competing for a share of the league’s record $500,000 prize pool.
The announcement also confirms the prestigious Andrew Gaze MVP Awards will be staged at Parliament House’s Great Hall, marking the first time the ceremony has been held outside Melbourne in more than a decade.
The decision follows the overwhelming success of the 2025 NBL Blitz in Canberra, which sold out every day and delivered the busiest week at AIS Arena since its reopening in 2023.
NBL Group CEO David Stevenson said the expanded Finals format was the next step in the competition’s rapid growth.
“The Ignite Cup has quickly become one of the standout innovations in the NBL, bringing knockout intensity into the Hungry Jack’s NBL regular season and creating must-watch basketball every Wednesday night,” Stevenson said.
“Introducing a Final Four series and bringing it to Canberra is a fantastic evolution of the competition. Fans will experience a festival of basketball, with the best teams battling it out over one incredible weekend for the biggest prize pool in NBL history.”
Stevenson said Canberra had proven itself as one of the country’s strongest basketball markets and was the ideal location to host the league’s newest marquee event.
“Canberra has shown time and again that it embraces elite basketball. The incredible success of last year’s sold-out CODE Sports NBL Blitz proved there’s a huge appetite for the game, and we’re excited to build on that momentum by bringing the Ignite Cup Finals and the Andrew Gaze MVP Awards to the nation’s capital.”
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr believes the event will provide a significant boost both economically and for basketball’s long-term future in the territory.
“This is a slam dunk for Canberra and a great example of what’s possible when we build strong, genuine partnerships with national sporting codes,” Barr said.
“Bringing the 2027 Ignite Cup Finals and the Andrew Gaze MVP Awards to our city means the entire NBL family – from players, officials and fans from every club – will be here for a full weekend.”
The event also strengthens Canberra’s push to eventually secure its own NBL franchise, with the ACT Government continuing planning for a new National Convention and Entertainment Centre while investing in expanded basketball infrastructure across the Territory.
The Ignite Cup was introduced as an in-season tournament featuring 20 Wednesday night fixtures that also count towards the regular-season standings, with the New Zealand Breakers claiming the inaugural title.
Originally published as Major Canberra deal fuels NBL expansion dream as record $500k prize pool unveiled