The Betclic ÉLITE basketball league has a dynamic playoff system. Teams ranked from 7th to 10th in the regular season standings compete in a single-elimination tournament, known as the Play-In, to secure the final two spots in the main Playoffs. All Play-In games are played at the home court of the higher-seeded team.
The Play-In tournament kicks off on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. The 7th and 8th ranked teams will face each other, with the winner directly qualifying for the Playoffs. On the same day, the 9th and 10th ranked teams will play. The loser of the 7th vs. 8th game will then face the winner of the 9th vs. 10th game.
The decisive match to determine the final Play-In qualifier will take place on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at 8:30 PM. The winner of this crucial game will earn the last remaining spot in the Betclic ÉLITE Playoffs.
The Betclic ÉLITE 2026 Playoffs will consist of three rounds: Quarter-finals, Semi-finals, and the Final. The Quarter-finals will be a best-of-three series, with the higher-seeded team hosting the first game and any potential deciding third game. The Semi-finals and the Final will be best-of-five series. In these rounds, the higher-seeded team will host the first two games and any potential Game 5.
The Quarter-finals are scheduled to take place from May 25th to May 30th, 2026. The Semi-finals will follow from June 1st to June 11th, 2026. The Championship Final series will be contested from June 14th to June 23rd, 2026.
For the 2026 season, DAZN is offering a special “Pass Playoffs” for €5.99, available from May 11th to June 23rd. This pass grants access to live and on-demand coverage of the entire Play-In, Playoffs, and Finals, with content remaining accessible until August 24th, 2026.
Tie-Breaking Rules for Equal Standings
In cases where teams have the same number of points in the standings, Article 205 of the LNB General Regulations outlines the tie-breaking procedures to determine playoff qualification:
Article 205.1 – General Principles
The ranking is established based on the win percentage relative to the number of games played. A victory is awarded for each game won (sportingly, by forfeit, or penalty), and a defeat for each game lost.
Article 205.2 – Tie Situations Between Multiple Teams
If two or more teams have the same win/loss ratio over all their games, the ranking is determined by the games played between those specific teams.
If the tie persists after considering head-to-head results, the following criteria are applied in order:
- The largest point difference in games played against each other (head-to-head goal difference).
- The highest number of points scored in games played against each other.
- The largest point difference in all league games (overall goal difference).
- The highest number of points scored in all league games.
If these criteria still do not separate the tied teams, a draw will determine the final ranking.
If, at any stage of applying these criteria, one or more teams can be definitively ranked, the procedure restarts from the beginning to resolve the remaining ties.
Any team that received a forfeit or penalty loss during the season will be automatically placed last among the tied teams. Victory withdrawals do not fall under this provision.
