The 2026 NBL is expected to be very competitive with many teams having bolstered their squads. Some teams have had squad overhauls and there is a lot of uncertainty on how they will perform.

In this article, Senior writer Avitus Ngabirano makes his Bold  Predictions for the 2026 NBL Season.

City Oilers to finish top 2

The 2025 NBL Regular season was one to forget for the 10-time champions as they made it to the playoffs by a whisker. Their squad was very weak and their 6 losses in 11 first round games showed us how poor they were.

This time around, they have a much better squad. Titus is back, they signed 2 of the best players from 2025 and added a veteran, former MVP and leader in Ndikumana.

The Oilers may not finish as the number one seed but their squad is good enough for a top 2 finish.

Franck Nyembo for Top Scorer

In the few games he played in 2025, Franck Nyembo was among the players with the most points for their entire season. This time around, he is starting the regular season and in the best team. There is a very high likelihood that he averages more than 20 points this season.

Edrine Ekau to fight for Top scorer

Youngster Ekau knows how to get to the basket. His shot is also decent and offensively, he is hard to stop in a 1v1. Having moved to Rezlife Saints, there will be heavy reliance on him to score.

His scoring will be similar to that of Mark Ngobi for Sommet and Daniel Odonkyero for the KIU Titans in the first round of the 2025 NBL Season. He will score the most points for Rezlife, how many they will be, I have no idea but I’m sure it will be high.

UPDF to be in relegation fight

So many teams have added a lot to their squads and are all set to compete. However, there is always that one team that doesn’t inspire confidence like the rest. This year, that team is the UPDF Tomahawks.

When you look at their squad and compare to the others, they are probably the weakest and as we have seen in the recent past, the weakest seldom survive. The Tomahawks don’t have that one or two players that can be dominate a game and see it through.

This will be a very tough year for them and I see them fighting for their lives from start till the end.

Nam Blazers to lose more than 3 games

In 2025, the Namuwongo Blazers were so dominant and finished the first round with a perfect record. However, in the second round, they hit a rough patch, losing 3 consecutive games to the UCU Canons, Sommet and Kampala Rockets.

This time round, a lot of the teams are solid and have multiple difference makers. Despite the Blazers still looking as the number one team, they are likely to lose more than 3 games. Actually, in the first round alone, I don’t think they will have a perfect record.

KCCA Panthers to miss the playoffs

In the first round of the 2025 NBL Season, the KCCA Panthers finished with an 8-3 record. They were cruising and looked like a team that could challenge for the trophy.

However, the second round was horrible. The Panthers managed just 4 victories and almost missed out on the playoffs. The squad from 2025 has not changed much and it is very hard to argue that the new additions elevate them past the other teams. 

This KCCA Panthers team is very intriguing as we don’t know how they will perform but looking at the squad, there is a big likelihood of them missing the playoffs.

The NBL tips-off on 6th Febrauary with Namuwongo Blazers facing the City Oilers while Pearl Queens take on the JT Lady Jaguars in the opening game.