The NBA is making a big change to its All-Star Game format. In the 2026 edition of the All-Star Game, fans will be able to watch USA stars take on the best of the rest of the world, the league announced on Tuesday.
“The 2026 NBA All-Star Game will debut a new U.S. vs. World format, airing Sunday, Feb. 15 at 5 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock. Two U.S. teams and one international team will compete in a round-robin tournament with four 12-minute games,” shared the NBA Communications on X, formerly Twitter.
As stated, there will be three teams in total in the tournament-style All-Star Game in 2026. Two will be USA teams, while the other will consist of international NBA players.
There will be four games in total, and each will run for 12 minutes. Each team will face off against the other two squads in the field, with the top two teams after the round robin meeting in the championship round.
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As for the composition of the rosters, fans will still be able to vote for the 10 starters, with each conference getting five players from that process. Votes from the coaches will determine the other 14 total reserve players for the East and West.
Moreover, if the results of the NBA All-Star voting don't turn in 16 players from the US and eight from other countries, “then NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will select additional All-Stars to join either group to reach that minimum. In that case, at least 1 team would have more than 8 players,” as shared by Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.
Fans will also no longer be capped by positions. The votes will be positionless, meaning fans can send in ballots containing all guards, all centers, all forwards, or just any type of roster configuration, regardless of the positions the players play.
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game will be played on February 15, 2026, at the home of the Los Angeles Clippers, Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.