eFIBA is the official international competitive e-basketball tournament where NBA 2K players represent their countries.
It is a national team competition organized by FIBA bringing esports and traditional basketball together on a global stage for National Federations
eFIBA was launched in 2020 as a pilot project under the FIBA umbrella.
With esports rapidly growing and the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating digital sports adoption, FIBA identified the opportunity to test a global esports competition aligned with its mission to develop and promote basketball worldwide.
The project was also initiated in response to increasing interest and requests from National Federations to establish an official international e-basketball competition.
Key Stakeholders Behind eFIBA
eFIBA is made possible through the collaboration of several key partners:
FIBA commits to the project on a yearly basis, investing in its development and engaging National Federations worldwide.
2K is the publisher of the NBA 2K franchise. FIBA holds a licensing agreement with 2K that allows the organization of official international events. The partnership between FIBA and 2K has been ongoing for more than five years.
Formerly the NBA 2K League, NBAT2 supports the commercial development of eFIBA when there are no conflicts with existing NBA sponsors or key markets.
eFIBA Competition Basics
eFIBA is held every year using the latest edition of the NBA 2K video game.
The competition is played in Pro-Am mode, which allows full customization of:
- Courts - Player avatars - Team jerseys - Team branding elements
Each national team consists of a minimum of five players, simulating real basketball with 5-on-5 gameplay.
The competition is played exclusively on PlayStation 5. Cross-platform play is not allowed; Xbox and PC players are not eligible to compete.
Competition Format
Phases
eFIBA consists of two main phases:
1. Played entirely online 2. National teams compete within their geographic conference
1. The flagship in-person event of the season 2. The top teams from each conference compete for the world title
Conferences
National Federations are allocated into seven geographic conferences to optimize connectivity and audience engagement:
Africa
Asia
Europe
Middle East
North America
South America
Oceania
World Finals Qualification
The World Finals feature eight teams:
The champion of each of the seven conferences
The runner-up from the European Conference
- The competition is open to all FIBA National Federations. - There are no registration fees for participating federations. - Official registration must be submitted by the National Federation. - Federations may collaborate with third parties (e.g., esports federations or agencies) to manage their programme.
To compete in eFIBA, a player must:
1. Be at least 16 years old 2. Hold a valid passport or official identity document from the country they represent 3. Have a valid PlayStation Network ID 4. Own a player avatar with a 90+ overall rating in the relevant NBA 2K title