The 2026 MPBL playoffs is the upcoming postseason tournament of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League's 2026 season, the league's eighth overall, and second under play-in tournament format. The postseason tournament began in September, after the conclusion of the regular season.
Overview
Updates to playoff appearances The Abra Weavers entered the playoffs for the third consecutive season and also clinch the best record in the league for the second consecutive season. The Quezon Huskers entered the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season and also clinch the best record in the South Division for the third consecutive season. The San Juan Knights and Zamboanga Sikat entered the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season. The Batangas City Tanduay Rum Masters entered the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season, currently the longest playoff streak in the MPBL. The GenSan Warriors entered the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season. The Caloocan Batang Kankaloo and Pasay Voyagers entered the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. The Rizal Golden Coolers and Biñan Tatak Gel entered the playoffs for the third consecutive season. The Ilagan Isabela Cowboys and Mindoro Tamaraws entered the playoffs for the second consecutive season. The Meycauayan Marilao Gems entered the playoffs for the first time. The Cebu Greats entered the playoffs for the first time since 2019 playoffs. The Bataan Risers and Quezon City Black Bulls entered the playoffs for the first time since 2022 playoffs.
Notable events This marked the first playoffs since the introduction of the Play-In Tournament that none of the teams seeded #8 of both divisions made the playoffs. Also, this is the first playoffs that a 9th-seeded team made the playoffs.
Format The top six teams from each division advance to the playoffs, while The seventh and eighth-ranked teams will play for the seventh seed in the playoffs. The losing team will face the winner of the game between the ninth and tenth-ranked teams for the eighth seed and the final playoff spot. Due to this change, only the top six teams will directly advance to the playoffs. Seeding is based on wins, with tiebreaker rules applied should multiple teams have the same record. The single-elimination bracket consists of four rounds with no reseeding. The first two rounds being a best-of-three series; the division finals being a best-of-five series; and the national finals being a best-of-seven series for the first time.
During the first two rounds, two games within the same division are played in a gameday, with homecourt advantage alternating between the higher-seeded teams of each series. A traditional homecourt format is then used for the last two rounds, with the division finals using a 2–2–1 format and the national finals using a 2–2–1–1–1 format. The designated home team may not be able to play within its home locality. Should it occur, the gameday may take place elsewhere.
Division standings
North Division
South Division
Play-in tournament North Division
South Division
Bracket Teams in bold advanced to the next round. Teams in italics have homecourt advantage for the series. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its division, while the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round.
Division quarterfinals NOTE: All times are Philippine Standard Time (UTC+8:00).
North Division quarterfinals (1) Abra Weavers vs. (8) Quezon City Black Bulls
Head-to-head matchup This is the first playoff meeting between Abra and Quezon City.
(2) San Juan Knights vs. (7) Bataan Risers
Head-to-head matchup This is the first playoff meeting between San Juan and Bataan.
(3) Caloocan Batang Kankaloo vs. (6) Ilagan Isabela Cowboys
Head-to-head matchup This is the first playoff meeting between Caloocan and Ilagan Isabela.
(4) Meycauayan Marilao Gems vs. (5) Pasay Voyagers
Head-to-head matchup This is the first playoff meeting between Meycauayan Marilao and Pasay.
South Division quarterfinals (1) Quezon Huskers vs. (8) Zamboanga Sikat
Head-to-head matchup This is the second playoff meeting between Quezon and Zamboanga, with Zamboanga leads the recent all-time playoff series.
+Previous playoffs series Zamboanga 1–0 in all-time playoff series
(2) Biñan Tatak Gel vs. (7) Mindoro Tamaraws
Head-to-head matchup This is the first playoff meeting between Biñan and Mindoro.
(3) GenSan Warriors vs. (6) Rizal Golden Coolers
Head-to-head matchup This is the first playoff meeting between General Santos and Rizal.
(4) Batangas City Athletics vs. (5) Cebu Greats
Head-to-head matchup This is the first playoff meeting between Batangas City and Cebu.
References