Game 1 of CEBL final between Winnipeg and Brampton cancelled due to wet playing surface
Posted August 12, 2026 7:47 pm.
Last Updated August 12, 2026 8:36 pm.
The Canadian Elite Basketball League is pivoting on its plans for a three-game championship series after the first game was called off due to unsafe playing conditions.
The Winnipeg Sea Bears and Brampton Honey Badgers opened Game 1 at Brampton’s CAA Centre on Wednesday, but play was suspended early in the first period due to condensation on the court.
The league issued a statement saying it consulted with both teams, game staff officials and venue staff, and decided to cancel the game because the playing surface was unsafe for competition.
Another statement followed, with the league saying the CEBL championship will now be decided in a single game to be held in Winnipeg on Saturday.
The league says the three-game series could not be completed within the scheduled window, so after consulting with both clubs, it opted to return to the single-game format used to decide a champion from 2019 through 2025.
Saturday’s matchup was initially slated to be Game 2 in the series, while Game 3 would be held in Winnipeg on Sunday if necessary.
The Sea Bears are looking to win their first CEBL title while the Honey Badgers are aiming for their second championship in four seasons.
Winnipeg opened the postseason with a 99-88 home victory over the Saskatoon Mamba, who had won six of their previous seven games heading into the Western Conference semifinal.
The No. 2-seeded Sea Bears followed that up by stunning the top-ranked Vancouver Bandits, 107-96, in the West final. Vancouver had clinched first place in the conference by beating Winnipeg on the final weekend of the regular season and entered the game as a heavy favourite.
Brampton finished second in the Eastern Conference with an 11-13 record.
The Honey Badgers defeated the Ottawa BlackJacks in the East semifinal, before edging the reigning back-to-back CEBL champion Niagara River Lions in the conference final. Niagara had eliminated the 2023 champion Scarborough Shooting Stars, who finished with a league-best 20-4 record.
The Honey Badgers were also 2-0 against the Sea Bears this season, claiming a pair of narrow wins. Brampton beat Winnipeg 96-92 back on May 25 and, most recently, edged the Sea Bears, 88-86, on July 25.
