Basketball fans around the world are in for a fresh twist this season as the NBA shakes up its traditional All-Star Game format. The league announced that this year’s event will feature a U.S. vs. World three-team setup, bringing a new international flavor to one of basketball’s biggest showcases. The action tips off on Sunday, February 15 at 5 p.m. ETinside the Clippers’ brand-new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
The format will feature two U.S. squads and one international “World” team, competing in a round-robin mini-tournament that includes four 12-minute games. Each team will have at least eight players, ensuring enough rotations for fans to see their favorite stars in action while keeping the pace high and the energy electric.
This marks the latest in a long line of NBA experiments aimed at revitalizing the All-Star Game and bringing back the intensity that fans crave. Recent years have seen everything from playground-style drafts to target-score endings, but this time, the league is turning to national pride – and global rivalry – to spice things up.
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.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) November 12, 2025
Two U.S. teams and one international team will compete in a round-robin tournament with four 12-minute games.
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As always, the 24 NBA All-Stars will be chosen from across the league, with 12 from each conference. Fan voting will determine half of the starter selections, while current NBA players and a panel of media members will each account for 25% of the vote. Head coaches across the league will fill out the reserve spots. This season, players will be picked without regard to position, offering even more flexibility in forming the ultimate star-studded lineups.
Commissioner Adam Silver also retains the authority to add players if voting doesn’t yield at least 16 U.S. players and 8 international players. This ensures that the new three-team setup has enough representation to make the U.S. vs. World rivalry truly global – and balanced.
The round-robin format will unfold over three initial games. In Game 1, Team A will face Team B. The winner advances to meet Team C in Game 2, while the loser faces Team C in Game 3. After those matchups, the two teams with the best records move on to the championship game. If all three squads finish with identical records, point differentialacross the earlier games will serve as the tiebreaker – a setup that should keep every bucket meaningful.
Adding to the excitement, this year’s All-Star Game will air on NBC, which is coordinating its coverage with the Winter Olympics. This scheduling decision moves the event slightly earlier than usual, creating a sports-filled February that blends basketball brilliance with Olympic fever.
With national pride, global bragging rights, and superstar matchups all in play, the new All-Star format promises more than just dunks and highlights. It’s a chance for fans to see how the world’s best truly stack up – and for the NBA to prove, once again, that its reach and imagination know no bounds.