BBBL Season 2026/27 Opens in Valmiera with U16 SuperCup Qualifier
Boys U16

Sep 21, 2026

The 2026/27 BBBL season is officially underway! From September 18-20, Valmiera, Latvia, became the starting point of an exciting new season, welcoming 16 U16 teams for three days of intense competition. But this was more than just the opening stage. The tournament also served as the U16 SuperCup Qualifier, with teams fighting for the two tickets to the BBBL SuperCup, which will take place in Riga on November 27-29.

16 teams. Two paths. Two tickets.

The 16 participating teams were first divided into four groups through an official draw. From there, the competition split into two qualification paths:

Path 1 - Groups A + B
Path 2 - Groups C + D

After the group stage, teams moved into the playoff phase within their respective paths, with only the path winner securing a place at the SuperCup.

The qualifier featured teams from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Sweden, bringing together Uppsala, Mažeikiai, East-Ball, Ezerzeme-Rēzekne, Dolphins, AK VEF, BVBS, Kesklinna, Sokud, Ogre, Jelgava, Rakvere, NKA, East-Ball 2, Šiauliai and Snaiperis.

After three days of competition, BVBS and NKA came out on top of their respective paths and secured their tickets to the BBBL SuperCup.

Tournament Highlights

One of the most exciting games of the weekend was the matchup between East-Ball and Snaiperis, which once again delivered a dramatic finish. With just three minutes remaining in regulation, Snaiperis held a 9-point lead, but East-Ball fought back to force overtime. The game continued a remarkable trend between the two teams - over the past seasons, East-Ball and Snaiperis have met 3 times, and every single matchup has featured at least one overtime.

Another surprise of the stage came in the semifinals, where Jelgava defeated Šiauliai to advance to the Path 2 final. Despite Šiauliai entering the tournament as one of the stronger contenders, Jelgava produced an amazing performance and secured an impressive win.

U16 1st Stage All-Star FIVE

#34 Kristupas Juodis - Mažeikiai https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADs3pjRxRto
#5 Emīls Kaufmanis - Valmiera https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07SPO7xAfCk
#24 Otto Daugavietis - East-Ball https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvizZg-Z-rk
#34 Ditas Palubinskas - NKA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a80Bnp-45iU
#10 Ralfs Jansons - Jelgava https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9dfvYeQoHo

A new award with Ice Power

The new season also brings a new BBBL partnership. This season, BBBL has joined forces with Ice Power, a brand offering cold therapy and recovery products designed for athletes and active people.

As part of the collaboration, BBBL has introduced a new award that will be presented at every stage: the Ice Power Defensive Player.

The award recognises a player who makes a strong impact on the defensive end and contributes to their team's performance beyond the scoresheet.

The first Ice Power Defensive Player of the season was #29 Kristens Zeps from Ezerzeme-Rēzekne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45ZBPgxtizc.

The collaboration with Ice Power will continue throughout the 2026/27 season, bringing recovery-focused products closer to BBBL players and teams.

Next stop - November

For the U16 age group, the next stage will take place on November 13-15 in Riga and Kaunas, where teams will continue their BBBL season and compete for another opportunity to make their mark.

And for BVBS and NKA, the next big challenge is already set - the BBBL SuperCup, November 27-29 in Riga.