Fresh from an early finals exit from NBL1 East, the Canberra Gunners after ready to head to Adelaide in defence of their NBL1 National title

The NBL1 Nationals Finals converge on the State Basketball Centre in Adelaide week, with the reigning national champion Canberra Gunners to be joined by the five 2026 League winners around the country.

The Gunners have been seeded 6th behind all the League winners and will be joined by NBL1 South champions Frankston Blues (5th), North champions Gold Coast Rollers (4th), West champions Rockingham Flames (3rd), Central winners Forestville Eagles (2nd), and NBL1 East counterparts and winners Norths Bears (1st).

Canberra start their campaign on Friday night against WA outfit, Rockingham. The NBL1 West winners enjoyed a strong season, and beat last year’s National Finals runners-up, the Geraldton Buccaneers 66-62 in the West Final in Perth on Saturday night.

The Women’s National Finals will also be played in conjunction with the Men’s, with NBL1 East winners Bankstown looking to upset reigning South and 2025 National champions, Knox Raiders.

The National Finals were played in Canberra last year, and have previously been held on the Sunshine Coast, in Joondalup and Melbourne, with the event continuing to grow as the premier national championship for community basketball in Australia.

All games from the 2026 NBL1 National Finals will be streamed live and free on Kayo Freebies, with tickets available now via INTIX.

Stay tuned to NBL1.com.au and @NBL1 social media channels for all the latest updates and fixture information, and also keep connected with the BACT socials as the countdown to the Gunners’ National Finals defence continues this week and across the weekend.

The Canberra Gunners and Gunners old boys celebrate the 2025 NBL1 National Championship title, won in Tuggeranong last August (Image: Edited Archives – Jack Statton)