The 2026 NBA All-Star Game will introduce a “United States vs. The World” format amidst the Winter Olympics.
Yesterday, the Eastern and Western Conference … tomorrow, the world.
Per Shams Charania of ESPN, the 2026 NBA All-Star Game will move to a “USA vs The World” format in the Association’s latest attempt to hype up its mid-winter exhibition. The league, its players union, executives, and the competition committee all met to discuss the incoming changes, with Charania declaring that the early reception was “positive” in his report.
Under the adjusted format, three teams—consisting of two American squads and on featuring players from abroad, will compete in a round-robin competition at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA on Feb. 15. Charania’s report states that the NBA estimates that 70 percent of its players are American, hinting that the surplus led to the formation of two such squads.
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game format is likely to feature a round-robin tournament consisting three eight-player squads of two USA teams and one World team, sources tell ESPN. NBA and players union presented format to the Competition Committee on Wednesday and response was positive. pic.twitter.com/xuR46pVYyu
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 3, 2025
The NBA has engaged in several strategies to ramp up the main event of the yearly showcase, including fantasy drafts, three-on-three tournaments, playing to a target score in lieu of a clock, and even a brief return to the traditional conference-vs.-conference edition. Last year’s three-on-three tournament, featuring games played up to 40, teams selected by “NBA on TNT” personalities as well as the winning team from the Rising Stars Challenge from earlier in the weekend, brief floor time for certain players, and lengthy interruptions was roundly criticized, leading the league to adapt a more radical format.
Such a switch could raise the level of competition at the infamously-defensive-challenged event: the tipping point in that regard may have been the 2024 All-Star Game, which Eastern Conference reps thrashed their Western counterparts by a 211-186 final.
Momentum for a “USA vs. international” peaked through several factors: the National Hockey League (which previously hosted a “North America vs. The World” competition in its own All-Star Game between 1998 and 2002) drew rave reviews and massive rating for ditching its All-Star Game in favor of the “4 Nations Face-Off,” which saw American, Canadian, Finnish, and Swedish squads compete in full-fledged games over nine days in Boston and Montreal this past winter.
Additionally, the 2026 NBA All-Star Game will be held amidst the Winter Olympics in Italy. Both the All-Star Game and the Olympics will be broadcast by the Association’s new television partner NBC, which also carries rights to Super Bowl LX the week prior.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
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