Citadele KMT tournament adopts new format for 2026–2027 season

The Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) has announced a new three-stage format for the 2026–2027 Citadele Karaliaus Mindaugo Taurė (KMT) tournament. The restructuring aims to increase the number of matches for LKL clubs not participating in international competitions and provides an opportunity for National Basketball League (NKL) teams to compete against top-tier domestic talent.

The tournament will begin with a qualifying stage starting October 6, featuring three LKL clubs not playing internationally and the NKL team Jurbarkas-Karys-Manvesta. These four teams will compete in a single group using a double round-robin system, playing six games in total. Only the first-place finisher will advance to the quarterfinals.

Seven LKL clubs participating in international tournaments—Kauno Žalgiris, Vilniaus Rytas, Utenos Juventus, Panevėžio Lietkabelis, Klaipėdos Neptūnas, Šiauliai, and Jonava Hipocredit—will join the competition at the quarterfinal stage. Quarterfinal seeding will be determined by the results of the first half of the LKL regular season, which concludes on November 8, 2026.