The London Lions have announced their 2026-27 Super League Basketball (SLB) schedule, with the new campaign set to tip off on Friday 18 September.
Following a historic 2025-26 season that saw the Lions claim all four domestic trophies, London will begin their Championship title defence on the road against Bristol Flyers, before welcoming the league’s newest franchise, Liverpool Basketball, on Sunday 27 September.
The 2026-27 campaign marks an expanded era for the competition, with Liverpool’s arrival taking SLB to 10 teams for the first time. All 10 sides will face each other four times, twice at home and twice away, across a 27-week regular season in which each club plays 36 games.
The Lions will renew their growing rivalry with Cheshire Phoenix, with the two sides set to meet four times across the regular season. London will travel to Manchester Basketball on Sunday 22 November as the story between two of the UK’s biggest markets continues to build, and will face their geographically closest rivals, Surrey 89ers, four times in what has become a fixture full of hard-fought encounters over the years.
With the SLB Trophy no longer part of the domestic calendar, there are three pieces of silverware to compete for this season: the Championship, the SLB Cup and the Play-Offs. Having become one of the few teams in SLB history to complete a domestic quadruple last season, the Lions cannot repeat that feat, with a treble the best possible outcome for any team this season.
The SLB Cup returns in a refreshed knockout format. As one of the top six sides from last season’s Championship, London receive an automatic bye to the Quarter-Finals, which take place on Sunday 10 January, where the Lions will host either Newcastle Eagles or Caledonia Gladiators.
The Semi-Finals will be played over two legs on Friday 15 and Sunday 17 January, before the Cup Final returns to the AO Arena in Manchester on Sunday 21 March 2027.
The Championship regular season runs through to Friday 23 April, with London closing out the campaign at home to Caledonia Gladiators. The Play-Offs carry greater jeopardy this season: with the league expanding to 10 teams but only the top six now qualifying, down from eight previously, reaching the postseason is tougher than ever.
The top two seeds from the Championship campaign advance directly to the Semi-Finals, while the teams seeded third to sixth contest two-legged Quarter-Finals, before the competition concludes with the Play-Off Final at The O2 in London on Sunday 16 May 2027.
The full 2026-27 London Lions schedule is below.
2026-27 LONDON LIONS MEN’S SLB FIXTURESSLB CHAMPIONSHIP
Friday 18 September – Bristol Flyers (A) – 7:30pm
Sunday 20 September – Newcastle Eagles (H) – 4:00pm
Sunday 27 September – Liverpool Basketball (H) – 4:00pm
Friday 2 October – Leicester Riders (H) – 7:30pm
Sunday 18 October – Cheshire Phoenix (A) – 5:30pm
Saturday 24 October – Bristol Flyers (H) – 6:00pm
Friday 30 October – B. Braun Sheffield Sharks (H) – 7:30pm
Friday 13 November – Surrey 89ers (H) – 7:30pm
Friday 20 November – B. Braun Sheffield Sharks (A) – 7:30pm
Sunday 22 November – Manchester Basketball (A) – 3:00pm
International Window: 23 November – 1 December
Sunday 13 December – Liverpool Basketball (A) – 4:00pm
Friday 18 December – Manchester Basketball (H) – 7:30pm
Saturday 2 January – B. Braun Sheffield Sharks (H) – 6:00pm
SLB CUP
Sunday 10 January – Quarter-Final, Newcastle Eagles or Caledonia Gladiators (H) – 4:00pm
Friday 15 January – Semi-Final, First Leg
Sunday 17 January – Semi-Final, Second Leg
Sunday 21 March – Final (AO Arena, Manchester)
SLB CHAMPIONSHIP
Friday 22 January – Surrey 89ers (A) – 7:30pm
Friday 29 January – Leicester Riders (A) – 7:30pm
Friday 5 February – Newcastle Eagles (A) – 7:30pm
Sunday 14 February – Caledonia Gladiators (A) – 4:00pm
Friday 19 February – Bristol Flyers (H) – 7:30pm
International Window: 22 February – 2 March
Friday 5 March – Cheshire Phoenix (H) – 7:30pm
Sunday 7 March – Manchester Basketball (A) – 3:00pm
Sunday 14 March – Surrey 89ers (H) – 4:00pm
Friday 26 March – Liverpool Basketball (A) – 7:30pm
Sunday 28 March – Newcastle Eagles (H) – 4:00pm
Friday 2 April – Bristol Flyers (A) – 7:30pm
Sunday 4 April – B. Braun Sheffield Sharks (A) – 4:00pm
Friday 16 April – Liverpool Basketball (H) – 7:30pm
Sunday 18 April – Cheshire Phoenix (A) – 5:30pm
Friday 23 April – Caledonia Gladiators (H) – 7:30pm
Fixtures TBC:
Caledonia Gladiators (H)
Caledonia Gladiators (A)
Cheshire Phoenix (H)
Leicester Riders (H)
Leicester Riders (A)
Manchester Basketball (H)
Newcastle Eagles (A)
Surrey 89ers (A)
Tickets are available at Ticket Master.
Words courtesy of London Lions
