NBA relocates! Las Vegas takes a big hit for the Cup

The NBA Cup will undergo a major format change. During Wednesday’s board meeting, the NBA announced that tournament semifinals will no longer be played at a neutral site starting from the 2026-2027 season. Only the final will continue to be played at a neutral venue.

The following was released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/Md0uIQXmme

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) September 10, 2025

Since the NBA Cup’s creation in the 2023-2024 season, semifinals and finals were held at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. This Final Four format will be abandoned in favor of a more traditional system where the team with the better seed will host the game in their arena.

A change driven by economic considerations

This modification addresses several practical and financial issues. Currently, playing a semifinal in Las Vegas deprives the designated « home team » of a game in their own arena, resulting in lost revenue. However, the final can justify being held at a neutral site as it doesn’t count in regular season standings.

Disappointing semifinal attendance might also explain this decision. Last season, about 1,500 seats remained empty during the game between Milwaukee and Atlanta. TV ratings for the final also dropped, from 4.58 million viewers for Lakers–Pacers in 2023-2024 to 2.99 million for Bucks–Thunder the following year.

Applying this new format to the previous edition, semifinals would have been played at Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum and Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center, with the Bucks and Thunder defeating Atlanta and Houston respectively.

The NBA hasn’t confirmed if Las Vegas will remain the final’s host after the 2025-2026 season, only specifying it would be held at a neutral site. The 2024-2025 edition will maintain the current format with semifinals scheduled for December 13 and the final on December 16 in Las Vegas. This season’s group stage will begin on October 31.