8 Biggest Basketball Games in October 2026
October promises to be a packed month for basketball fans: the NBA and European leagues will begin their regular seasons, while the battle for position in the EuroLeague is only gathering pace. The schedule features several clashes between giants, fierce derbies and matchups between teams that have already met in the decisive stages of previous tournaments. We have picked out 8 of the biggest basketball games in October that will be particularly interesting to follow.
Main Basketball Games in October 2026
Panathinaikos – Fenerbahce
📅 October 8
🏆 EuroLeague, Regular Season, Round 4
Match Preview
One of the most intense early-season EuroLeague matchups: two champions from the past three years will meet in Athens. Another regular-season meeting feels almost like a continuation of a major European rivalry. The venue adds another layer of interest: Panathinaikos will host Fenerbahce at the Telekom Center, where the atmosphere traditionally becomes an important part of games like this.
Barcelona – Valencia Basket
📅 October 11
🏆 ACB, Regular Season, Round 3
Match Preview
Last season's championship final will be repeated as early as Round 3 of the ACB, a series in which Valencia Basket did not lose a single game in regulation. Barcelona are beginning a new chapter with Aleksander Sekulic and a heavily renewed roster, while Valencia will try to confirm their status as the surprise team.
WNBA Finals
📅 October 17, 19, 22 and 24; October 26, 29 and 31 if necessary
Series Preview
The biggest event in women's basketball worldwide is the WNBA Finals. At the end of September, it is still unknown who will compete for the trophy, but the biggest surprise has already happened. Regular-season winners Minnesota Lynx, who won 75% of their games, were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by New York Liberty and never came closer than 16 points to their opponent in any game of the series.
San Antonio Spurs – Oklahoma City Thunder
📅 October 20
🏆 NBA, Regular Season
Match Preview
The NBA preseason games from October 3–16 will finally give way to official competition. And already on the second day of the regular season, we will see a matchup between the two main title favorites according to the bookmakers. Their combined championship probability is estimated at 54%. Last spring, the Spurs and Thunder went seven games to decide the best team in the West — and it was Victor Wembanyama, not Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who advanced to the NBA Finals.
Philadelphia 76ers – New York Knicks
📅 October 20 and 30
🏆 NBA, Regular Season
Match Preview
One of the main rivalries of the opening stretch of the season: the teams will meet twice in ten days. Continuing with the title favorites, these are the third- and fourth-ranked contenders for the championship according to the bookmakers. Their title chances are estimated somewhat lower at 11% and 10%, respectively, but the reigning champion is entering the battle either way. The Sixers will take the court with a completely new roster featuring LeBron James and Jaylen Brown. The rematch on October 30, this time in the NBA Cup, will add even more edge to the series.
Olympiacos – Fenerbahce
📅 October 23
🏆 EuroLeague, Regular Season, Round 7
Match Preview
A meeting between the last two EuroLeague champions that has already become one of the main rivalries in European basketball. The teams faced each other in last season's semifinal and then met again in the first EuroLeague Super Cup in history, so the October game in Piraeus will be another chapter in this rivalry. So far, it has belonged entirely to the Greeks — Olympiacos have won four consecutive head-to-head meetings.
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna
📅 October 25
🏆 Serie A, Regular Season, Round 5
Match Preview
The biggest derby in Italian basketball and the first major Serie A test of the season for the favorites. The teams had already met twice before the championship even began — Milan won both the Super Cup semifinal and the EuroLeague game.
Real Madrid – Fenerbahce
📅 October 29
🏆 EuroLeague, Regular Season, Round 9
Match Preview
A game between two teams with serious title ambitions. After failure on the domestic stage and defeat in last season's EuroLeague final, Real Madrid have extra motivation to return to the top of European basketball. It will be especially interesting to see how Madrid's ambitions match up against Sarunas Jasikevicius' team, as the Turkish side have already shown they can handle the toughest European tests.
Where October Has the Most Top Basketball Games
The biggest event in the basketball world is the start of the new NBA season. The first preseason games will take place on October 3, while the regular season begins on October 19. October will bring us games involving the two main favorites, San Antonio and Oklahoma City, as well as matchups featuring reigning champions New York Knicks against a Philadelphia team strengthened by LeBron James.
Europe has its own battles: October will feature at least three top EuroLeague games, as well as fixtures involving favorites in the Spanish and Italian championships.
