Overview
- The tournament began on Oct. 30 with opening-night group games across the league, including the Knicks vs. 76ers and marquee matchups streaming on Prime Video.
- All 30 teams are divided into six groups of five, each team plays four designated Cup games that count toward the regular-season record, and eight teams advance to single-elimination knockouts (six group winners plus two wild cards).
- Quarterfinals are set for Dec. 4–5 and semifinals for Dec. 8–9 with each knockout game hosted by the higher-seeded team from Group Play instead of a neutral site.
- Players on teams that reach the knockout rounds earn shares of the Cup prize pool, a media panel will select a Cup MVP and All-Tournament Team, and Cup tiebreakers exclude overtime scoring from point-differential calculations.
- The Cup is now in its fourth year, building on past winners and early-season interest, and outlets are publishing group-by-group picks and injury-driven outlooks that frame the event as a proving ground for teams this winter.