Willis Wealth Management Senior Cup, Plate and Bowl Draws Confirmed for 2026/27 Season

Basketball Northern Ireland is delighted to announce the draws for the 2026/27 Willis Wealth Management Senior Cup Competitions, setting the stage for another exciting season of knockout basketball across Northern Ireland.

The official draws took place on Saturday 31 October during halftime of the Domino’s Men’s National League Division 1 fixture between Ulster University and Drogheda Wolves, confirming the opening matchups across four senior competitions.

With clubs from across Northern Ireland preparing to battle for silverware, the Willis Wealth Management Senior Cup Competitions will showcase the talent, competitiveness and growing strength of senior club basketball.

This season’s competitions include:

Willis Wealth Management Senior Women’s Cup – 6 teams
Willis Wealth Management Men’s Premier Cup – 8 teams
Willis Wealth Management Men’s Division 1 Plate – 13 teams
Willis Wealth Management Men’s Division 2 Bowl – 10 teams

A total of 37 team entries will compete across the four competitions, with clubs aiming to secure their place at Finals Day.

Senior Women’s Cup – Quarter-Final Draw

Six teams will compete for the Senior Women’s Cup, with two quarter-final fixtures confirmed:

Queens BC vs Tyrone Towers BC
University Ulster Tigers vs Phoenix BC

Drogheda Wolves and Belfast Star receive byes into the semi-finals, where they will meet for a place in the final.

Men’s Premier Cup – Quarter-Final Draw

The Men’s Premier Cup features four exciting quarter-final matchups:

Tyrone Towers BC vs Queens BC
Phoenix BC vs BC Wolves
University Ulster Tigers vs Omagh Thunder BC
Ballymena BC vs Belfast Star

All eight teams enter at the quarter-final stage, with the winners progressing to the semi-finals.

Men’s Division 1 Plate – Opening Round

Thirteen teams will contest the Men’s Division 1 Plate, with three receiving byes into the quarter-finals.

Opening fixtures:

University Ulster Tigers 2 vs Tyrone Towers BC
Newry Fliers vs North Star-Warriors
Belfast Star vs BC Wolves
Mourne BC vs Newry Eagles BC
Queens BC vs Hazelwood Hawks BC

University Ulster Tigers 1, Phoenix BC and Bangor City Warriors receive byes into the quarter-finals.

Men’s Division 2 Bowl – Opening Round

Ten teams will compete for the Men’s Division 2 Bowl, with six teams receiving byes through the opening round.

Opening fixtures:

Newry Eagles BC vs Poyntzpass Pumas
Newry Fliers vs University Ulster Tigers

Bangor City Warriors, Lurgan Lakers, Antrim Jets BC, Magherafelt Titans, North Star-Warriors and Tyrone Towers BC advance directly to the quarter-finals.

Senior Women’s Cup – Quarter-Final Draw

Six teams will compete for the Senior Women’s Cup, with two quarter-final fixtures confirmed:

Queens BC vs Tyrone Towers BC
University Ulster Tigers vs Phoenix BC

Drogheda Wolves and Belfast Star receive byes into the semi-finals, where they will meet for a place in the final.

The Road to Finals Day

The knockout competitions will take place throughout the coming months, with clubs working towards the following key dates:

Preliminary rounds: Completed by 6 December 2026
Quarter-finals: Completed by 24 January 2027
Semi-finals: Completed by 14 February 2027
Finals Day: Sunday 28 February 2027, La Salle

The Willis Wealth Management Senior Cup Finals Day promises to bring together clubs, players, coaches, officials and supporters for a celebration of senior basketball.

Clubs are encouraged to begin scheduling their fixtures, with dedicated cup weeks already allocated within the senior league calendar.

Fixtures and competition information are available through Comortais and Clupik.

Important Reminder: Senior Cup Player Eligibility

Basketball Northern Ireland would like to remind all participating clubs, coaches and players of the eligibility requirements for the Willis Wealth Management Senior Cup, Plate and Bowl competitions.

Rule 7.8 – Player Eligibility

A player is eligible to play in the cup competitions if, and only if, they have played in at least one league game for that team before the start date of the cup competitions (NB – simply being named on the score sheet is not enough, they must be recorded as entering the court.) The penalty for playing an ineligible player is a game forfeit.

Rule 7.10 – Players Returning from Injury

For an injured player to be considered eligible to play in the cup and playoff tournaments, the team must seek permission in writing from the League and Competitions Committee. Requests will only be considered for players returning from long term (greater than 2 months) injury.

Rule 7.11 – Players Representing Multiple Teams

Irrespective of any ‘starred’ status, for senior clubs with a team in more than one division, players can only play for one team in the senior cup competitions, e.g. a player cannot play in the Premier League Cup competition and in the Division 1 Plate competition.

Basketball NI encourages all clubs to review their player eligibility and ensure compliance with competition regulations ahead of their opening fixtures.

Supporting Senior Basketball in Northern Ireland

Basketball Northern Ireland would like to acknowledge the continued sponsorship of Willis Wealth Management, whose support helps provide a platform for clubs and athletes to compete for silverware at senior level.

The Cup, Plate and Bowl competitions are an important part of the senior basketball calendar, offering teams the opportunity to compete in knockout basketball alongside their league campaigns.

Basketball NI wishes all participating teams the very best of luck as the journey towards Finals Day begins.

Full competition draws and knockout brackets are available in the official Willis Wealth Management Senior Cup Competitions draw document.

Let the road to Finals Day begin! 🏀🏆