The 2026 NBL1 season features five regional conferences across Australia, with teams competing in both men’s and women’s competitions. Here is a full look at the current men’s standings, how the ladder works and what decides the champion.
NBL1 North 2026 Men’s Ladder
The North conference covers Queensland and features 13 teams across the state, from Cairns in the far north to the Gold Coast in the south.
| Position | Team | Played | Wins | Losses | Win Percentage | Points For | Points Against | Point Percentage | Last 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Cairns Marlins | 11 | 11 | 0 | 100.00 | 1152 | 909 | 126.70 | WWWWW |
| 2nd | Gold Coast Rollers | 11 | 9 | 2 | 81.80 | 1224 | 1039 | 117.80 | WWLWW |
| 3rd | Sunshine Coast Phoenix | 11 | 8 | 3 | 72.70 | 1088 | 947 | 114.90 | WWWLW |
| 4th | Logan Thunder | 10 | 7 | 3 | 70.00 | 1024 | 899 | 113.90 | WLWWL |
| 5th | Ipswich Force | 11 | 6 | 5 | 54.50 | 1048 | 1038 | 101.00 | WWWWL |
| 6th | Mackay Meteors | 11 | 6 | 5 | 54.50 | 1062 | 1080 | 98.30 | WLWWL |
| 7th | Brisbane Capitals | 12 | 6 | 6 | 50.00 | 1124 | 1160 | 96.90 | WWLLL |
| 8th | Southern Districts Spartans | 13 | 6 | 7 | 46.20 | 1246 | 1276 | 97.60 | LWLLW |
| 9th | South West Metro Pirates | 12 | 4 | 8 | 33.30 | 1044 | 1207 | 86.50 | LWWWW |
| 10th | Townsville Heat | 11 | 3 | 8 | 27.30 | 965 | 1052 | 91.70 | LWLLL |
| 11th | Northside Wizards | 11 | 3 | 8 | 27.30 | 1000 | 1112 | 89.90 | LWLLL |
| 12th | Rockhampton Rockets | 11 | 2 | 9 | 18.20 | 1034 | 1156 | 89.40 | LLLLL |
| 13th | North Gold Coast Seahawks | 11 | 2 | 9 | 18.20 | 940 | 1076 | 87.40 | LLLWL |
NBL1 East 2026 Men’s Ladder
The East conference spans New South Wales and the ACT, with 16 teams making it the second largest conference in NBL1.
| Position | Team | Played | Wins | Losses | Win Percentage | Points For | Points Against | Point Percentage | Last 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Norths Bears | 15 | 13 | 2 | 86.70 | 1323 | 1151 | 114.90 | WLWWW |
| 2nd | Illawarra Hawks | 14 | 12 | 2 | 85.70 | 1370 | 1177 | 116.40 | WWWLW |
| 3rd | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 15 | 12 | 3 | 80.00 | 1280 | 1085 | 118.00 | LWWWW |
| 4th | Centre of Excellence | 20 | 13 | 7 | 65.00 | 1669 | 1499 | 111.30 | LLLLL |
| 5th | Canberra Gunners | 16 | 10 | 6 | 62.50 | 1343 | 1270 | 105.70 | WWLLL |
| 6th | Maitland Mustangs | 15 | 9 | 6 | 60.00 | 1301 | 1190 | 109.30 | WLWWW |
| 7th | Sutherland Sharks | 14 | 8 | 6 | 57.10 | 1222 | 1161 | 105.30 | WLWWW |
| 8th | Central Coast Crusaders | 16 | 9 | 7 | 56.20 | 1361 | 1377 | 98.80 | WWWWW |
| 9th | Inner West Bulls | 15 | 8 | 7 | 53.30 | 1213 | 1245 | 97.40 | LLLWW |
| 10th | Sydney Comets | 15 | 6 | 9 | 40.00 | 1127 | 1121 | 100.50 | WLLLL |
| 11th | Bankstown Bruins | 14 | 5 | 9 | 35.70 | 1235 | 1313 | 94.10 | LLLWL |
| 12th | Hills Hornets | 15 | 5 | 10 | 33.30 | 1149 | 1261 | 91.10 | LWLWL |
| 13th | Newcastle Falcons | 14 | 4 | 10 | 28.60 | 1040 | 1153 | 90.20 | LLLWW |
| 14th | Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Spiders | 15 | 4 | 11 | 26.70 | 1217 | 1349 | 90.20 | LWWLL |
| 15th | Albury-Wodonga Bandits | 15 | 2 | 13 | 13.30 | 1222 | 1503 | 81.30 | WLLWL |
| 16th | Penrith Panthers | 14 | 1 | 13 | 7.10 | 989 | 1206 | 82.00 | LLLLL |
NBL1 South 2026 Men’s Ladder
The South conference is the largest in NBL1, with 19 teams from Victoria and Tasmania competing across the regular season.
| Position | Team | Played | Wins | Losses | Win Percentage | Points For | Points Against | Point Percentage | Last 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Melbourne Tigers | 17 | 13 | 4 | 76.50 | 1542 | 1379 | 111.80 | LLWWW |
| 2nd | Eltham Wildcats | 16 | 12 | 4 | 75.00 | 1416 | 1263 | 112.10 | WWLWW |
| 3rd | Nunawading Spectres | 17 | 12 | 5 | 70.60 | 1712 | 1513 | 113.20 | WWWLW |
| 4th | Knox Raiders | 17 | 12 | 5 | 70.60 | 1691 | 1579 | 107.10 | WWWWL |
| 5th | Frankston Blues | 16 | 11 | 5 | 68.80 | 1525 | 1476 | 103.30 | WWWWW |
| 6th | Keilor Thunder | 18 | 11 | 7 | 61.10 | 1679 | 1578 | 106.40 | WWWLW |
| 7th | Casey Cavaliers | 17 | 10 | 7 | 58.80 | 1595 | 1536 | 103.80 | WWLLW |
| 8th | Dandenong Rangers | 17 | 9 | 8 | 52.90 | 1623 | 1571 | 103.30 | LLWLL |
| 9th | Kilsyth Cobras | 15 | 8 | 7 | 53.30 | 1337 | 1340 | 99.80 | LLLLW |
| 10th | Sandringham Sabres | 16 | 8 | 8 | 50.00 | 1470 | 1390 | 105.80 | WLLLW |
| 11th | Bendigo Braves | 16 | 7 | 9 | 43.80 | 1350 | 1433 | 94.20 | LWWLL |
| 12th | Ringwood Hawks | 16 | 7 | 9 | 43.80 | 1441 | 1553 | 92.80 | WWWLW |
| 13th | Diamond Valley Eagles | 17 | 7 | 10 | 41.20 | 1540 | 1578 | 97.60 | LWWWL |
| 14th | Hobart Chargers | 17 | 7 | 10 | 41.20 | 1579 | 1630 | 96.90 | WLLLL |
| 15th | Waverley Falcons | 16 | 6 | 10 | 37.50 | 1394 | 1439 | 96.90 | LLLWL |
| 16th | Northern Force | 17 | 6 | 11 | 35.30 | 1562 | 1684 | 92.80 | LWWWW |
| 17th | Mt Gambier Pioneers | 16 | 5 | 11 | 31.20 | 1441 | 1559 | 92.40 | LLLLL |
| 18th | Geelong United | 17 | 5 | 12 | 29.40 | 1417 | 1546 | 91.70 | LLWWL |
| 19th | Ballarat Miners | 18 | 2 | 16 | 11.10 | 1576 | 1843 | 85.50 | LLLLL |
NBL1 West 2026 Men’s Ladder
The West conference covers Western Australia, with 14 teams including metropolitan Perth clubs and regional sides from Geraldton, Kalgoorlie and Bunbury.
| Position | Team | Played | Wins | Losses | Win Percentage | Points For | Points Against | Point Percentage | Last 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Rockingham Flames | 16 | 14 | 2 | 87.50 | 1723 | 1395 | 123.50 | WWWWW |
| 2nd | Geraldton Buccaneers | 14 | 11 | 3 | 78.60 | 1332 | 1197 | 111.30 | WWWWL |
| 3rd | Joondalup Wolves | 16 | 12 | 4 | 75.00 | 1610 | 1457 | 110.50 | WWWLW |
| 4th | Eastern Suns | 16 | 11 | 5 | 68.80 | 1529 | 1458 | 104.90 | WLWWL |
| 5th | Cockburn Cougars | 15 | 10 | 5 | 66.70 | 1427 | 1323 | 107.90 | LWLWW |
| 6th | Willetton Tigers | 15 | 9 | 6 | 60.00 | 1484 | 1435 | 103.40 | LWLLL |
| 7th | Perry Lakes Hawks | 15 | 8 | 7 | 53.30 | 1430 | 1413 | 101.20 | LLWWW |
| 8th | East Perth Eagles | 16 | 7 | 9 | 43.80 | 1455 | 1494 | 97.40 | WLLWL |
| 9th | Lakeside Lightning | 17 | 7 | 10 | 41.20 | 1446 | 1531 | 94.40 | LWWWL |
| 10th | Perth Redbacks | 15 | 5 | 10 | 33.30 | 1420 | 1479 | 96.00 | LWLLL |
| 11th | Mandurah Magic | 16 | 5 | 11 | 31.20 | 1470 | 1563 | 94.00 | LWLLW |
| 12th | Warwick Senators | 16 | 5 | 11 | 31.20 | 1430 | 1625 | 88.00 | WLLWL |
| 13th | Goldfields Giants | 15 | 4 | 11 | 26.70 | 1294 | 1430 | 90.50 | LLLWL |
| 14th | South West Slammers | 16 | 1 | 15 | 6.20 | 1290 | 1540 | 83.80 | LLLLL |
NBL1 Central 2026 Men’s Ladder
The Central conference is based in South Australia, with all ten teams located across the Adelaide metropolitan area.
| Position | Team | Played | Wins | Losses | Win Percentage | Points For | Points Against | Point Percentage | Last 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Forestville Eagles | 14 | 12 | 2 | 85.70 | 1345 | 1098 | 122.50 | WWLWW |
| 2nd | South Adelaide Panthers | 14 | 11 | 3 | 78.60 | 1339 | 1211 | 110.60 | WWWWL |
| 3rd | Sturt Sabres | 14 | 11 | 3 | 78.60 | 1239 | 1193 | 103.90 | LLWWL |
| 4th | Woodville Warriors | 14 | 8 | 6 | 57.10 | 1213 | 1125 | 107.80 | LLWLW |
| 5th | Central Districts Lions | 14 | 7 | 7 | 50.00 | 1270 | 1282 | 99.10 | WWLWW |
| 6th | Norwood Flames | 14 | 6 | 8 | 42.90 | 1199 | 1201 | 99.80 | WLWLW |
| 7th | Eastern Mavericks | 14 | 5 | 9 | 35.70 | 1270 | 1351 | 94.00 | LWWLL |
| 8th | West Adelaide Bearcats | 14 | 4 | 10 | 28.60 | 1233 | 1320 | 93.40 | WLLWL |
| 9th | North Adelaide Rockets | 14 | 4 | 10 | 28.60 | 1338 | 1467 | 91.20 | LWLLW |
| 10th | Southern Tigers | 14 | 2 | 12 | 14.30 | 1282 | 1480 | 86.60 | LLLLL |
NBL1 2026 Men’s Points System and Standings Explained
NBL1 standings are determined by win-loss record rather than a traditional points-per-game system used in some other Australian sporting leagues.
- A win counts as one win on the team’s record, and a loss counts as one loss
- There are no draws in basketball, so every game produces a winner and a loser
- Teams are ranked by win percentage, which is calculated as wins divided by total games played and expressed as a percentage
- When two or more teams have the same win percentage, point percentage is used as the tiebreaker
- Point percentage is calculated by dividing total points scored (Points For) by total points conceded (Points Against) and multiplying by 100
- A point percentage above 100.00 means a team scores more than it concedes on average, while below 100.00 indicates the opposite
- The “Last 5” column tracks each team’s results across their five most recent games, providing a snapshot of current form
How the NBL1 2026 Men’s Champion Is Decided
The regular season determines ladder positions, but the NBL1 champion in each conference is decided through a finals series held after the final round.
- Each NBL1 conference runs its own finals series at the end of the regular season
- The top teams on the ladder qualify for finals, with exact qualification spots varying by conference
- Higher-ranked teams earn home-court advantage during the finals
- The finals series uses a knockout or best-of format depending on the conference, with the Grand Final deciding the champion
- Conference champions are crowned independently, as NBL1 does not hold a national championship between conferences
- Regular season ladder position is critical, as finishing higher can mean fewer games needed to reach the Grand Final
What Fans Can Expect From the NBL1 2026 Season
The 2026 NBL1 season promises competitive basketball across all five conferences, with traditional powerhouses and emerging contenders battling for finals positions. Each conference brings a different flavour to the competition.
The North features Queensland’s regional rivalries, the East showcases the depth of New South Wales talent, and the South remains one of Australia’s most competitive leagues with 19 teams.
The West offers metropolitan and country matchups across vast distances, while the Central conference delivers tight Adelaide derbies every round. With finals spots on the line, every game counts from the opening tip to the final buzzer.
