Canberra to play role in NBL amid expansion hopes

Sebastian Tan |

Well used to having a WNBL team, Canberra could soon have an NBL outfit as well.
Well used to having a WNBL team, Canberra could soon have an NBL outfit as well.

Canberra may be one step closer to hosting an NBL team for the first time in more than two decades, with the league announcing the city will play a larger role in the coming season.

The league’s secondary competition the Ignite Cup will undergo a shake-up, with the tournament’s finals set to move from the Gold Coast to Canberra’s AIS Arena.

It’s the latest NBL development in the nation’s capital as speculation grows that the league is looking to expand into Canberra along with Darwin, the Gold Coast and with a second Sydney team.

Competition executives have said they want to grow the current 10-team competition, and that new clubs will have to have the capacity to host at least 8000 spectators.

The New Zealand Breakers.
Canberra is set to host the final of the Ignite Cup, won by the New Zealand Breakers last season. (AAP PHOTOS)

With the ACT government announcing it will refurbish the Canberra Convention Centre, hope remains that the city can secure a team in the competition for the first time since the Canberra Cannons were last involved in 2003.

The Cannons won three NBL titles before relocating to Newcastle, while the Sydney Kings now play some regular season matches at the AIS Arena.

That venue also staged the pre-season Blitz tournament in 2025 and hosts WNBL side the UC Capitals, who attract solid crowd numbers. 

“Canberra has shown time and again that it embraces elite basketball,” NBL Group CEO, David Stevenson said in a statement. 

“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.”

Canberra Cannons historical action.
Canberra hasn’t had an NBL side since the Cannons departed after the 2003 season. (Alan Porritt/AAP PHOTOS)

But before expansion, the nation’s capital will have to settle for the midweek Ignite Cup, a competition involving 20 games held on Wednesday nights.

The four most successful teams will compete for a share in $550,000 when they progress to the semi-finals in Canberra on February 19 before the decider on February 21.

The MVP awards are also moving from Melbourne for the first time in more than a decade and will be hosted at the Great Hall in Canberra’s Parliament House.

“It is a strategic investment that supports not only our goal of growing visitor spend by $1 billion by 2030, but also our 2024 election commitment to work with the NBL on bringing elite men’s basketball back to Canberra,” ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said.

AAP