The new season of the National Basketball League will get underway on February 6 2026, 93 days since the end of the previous campaign.
It’s an early tip-off for the season that normally starts in late March.
This, has been undertaken to see that FUBA aligns it’s activities with the international calendar.
Last season, there was a standstill from Nam Blazers after FUBA initially submitted City Oilers name to represent the Country at the prestigious Basketball Africa League.
The honour goes to the league champions, but as it has been the case, the deadline for the Federation to submit the name arrives before the Ugandan League is still ongoing.
The new campaign will once again have 12 men and as many women’s teams, each playing each other in a round Robin format twice to determine the top eight from each division for the playoffs.
Registration Underway
FUBA has confirmed that registration for the 2026 NBL season is underway, having officially started on Tuesday, 30th December, and will run until 20th January 2026.
All registration shall be conducted through the FUBA Online E-Registration system in accordance with the Competition Rules and Licensing Guidelines 2026. The registration process will close at midnight on the deadline day, with no extensions.
Following registration, final verification of team rosters for all NBL teams will be conducted by the Competition Council from 20th January to 1st February 2026.
All team registrations shall comply with the licensing requirements outlined under Article II, Section 2 of the Competition Rules and Regulations 2026, as amended.
Who is in?
Champions Nam Blazers who ended City Oilers decade-long dominance in the Men’s division, headlines the list.
The Women’s division includes JKL Lady Dolphins who completed a three-peat last campaign.
UMU Flames are the Division One champions and are joined by beaten finalists UPDF Tomahawks as the two promoted sides from the lower tier.
Livingstone and KIU Titans were the two sides relegated from NBL last season.
Pearl Queens are the champions in the Women’s division, and were promoted alongside Victoria She Crocs.
Nkumba Lady Marines failed to get a single victory throughout their 20-game campaign and were relegated alongside A1 Challenge who did not play a single fixture last season.
