The National Lacrosse League (NLL) has announced the schedule for the 2026 NLL Playoffs, which will begin on Friday, April 24 when the Vancouver Warriors host the Halifax Thunderbirds at 10 p.m. The Warriors clinched the top overall seed in the eight-team playoff format and will have home-floor advantage throughout the postseason.
Playoff Format
The NLL adopted a single-table format ahead of the 2023-24 season, eliminating its previous divisional structure. Under this format, the League’s top eight teams qualify for the playoffs regardless of geographic alignment, ensuring the strongest teams compete for the championship.
In the single-elimination quarterfinal round, the higher seed will host each matchup: No. 1 vs. No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7, No. 3 vs. No. 6, and No. 4 vs. No. 5. Full matchup details are listed below.
Quarterfinal winners advance to the best-of-three semifinal round, set to begin the weekend of April 30.
2026 NLL Playoffs Schedule:
Quarterfinals (Single Elimination)
Friday, April 24 – Saturday, April 25
(8) Halifax at (1) Vancouver – Friday, April 24 | 10 pm ET
(7) San Diego at (2) Colorado – Saturday, April 25 | 9 pm ET
(6) Toronto at (3) Saskatchewan – Saturday, April 25 | 9 pm ET
(5) Buffalo at (4) Georgia – Saturday, April 25 | 7:30 pm ET
Semifinals (Best-of-Three)
Thursday, April 30 – Sunday, May 3
Thursday, May 7 – Sunday, May 10 (if necessary)
2026 NLL Finals (Best-of-Three)
Thursday, May 14 – Sunday, May 17*
Thursday, May 21 – Monday, May 25 (if necessary)
*If both semifinals are sweeps, the NLL Finals may begin as early as the weekend of May 7-10.
