Hong Kong, China, October 26, 2026 — The Asian University Basketball League (AUBL) has ushered in a new era, unveiling the format and schedule for the first home-and-away season ever played in the Asian college game. Beginning this November, the region’s elite university programs will face off on their own home courts and in their rivals’ arenas, with a full season of competition to determine who stands above the rest.

The 2026-27 season brings together 18 top programs from 11 markets for 54 total games, the largest slate in league history. The regular season runs November through April across two conferences, the 12-team Eastern Conference and the six-team Southern Conference, with nine Eastern and three Southern teams advancing to Championship Week in August.

“This is a landmark moment for university basketball in Asia,” said Jay Li, CEO of AUBL. “For the first time, the continent’s best college teams will be tested home and away, and that changes everything. This season will connect different cultures and styles of basketball, bring the game to more fans than ever and give student-athletes new opportunities to travel, compete and learn. Those experiences will shape the stars of tomorrow and build a stronger future for Asian basketball.”

AUBL kicks off its groundbreaking season with a two-game Tip-Off event at Sangnoksu Kim Yeon-koung Gymnasium in Seoul, Korea. Yonsei University, one of Korea’s longest-standing collegiate powerhouses, hosts reigning AUBL champion Shanghai Jiao Tong University in a heavyweight opener on Nov. 22 before taking on Chinese giant Tsinghua University on Nov. 24. From there, the Eastern Conference’s home-and-away schedule travels across five markets through March.

The conference’s 12 universities are divided into four groups of three, with each team playing its group opponents twice, once at home and once on the road. Each home game turns the host’s court into the center of the college basketball world, with fans packing the stands to cheer on their school. The top eight teams by record will advance, along with defending champion Shanghai Jiao Tong, which earns an automatic berth. Should Shanghai Jiao Tong finish in the top eight, the ninth-place team takes the final spot.

The Southern Conference will hold a separate tournament in Hanoi, Vietnam, from April 7 to 11, 2027, bringing together one university each from Hong Kong, Macau, Chinese Taipei, Australia, Indonesia and Vietnam. The six teams will be split into two groups of three, with the top two from each group advancing to a Final Four and the top three finishers earning their place in August. The full Southern Conference groupings and schedule will be announced at a later date.

Everything builds to Championship Week from Aug. 16 to 22, 2027, when the 12 qualifiers will battle through group play and a single-elimination knockout stage for the right to be crowned the best in Asia.

As AUBL reinvents the scale, structure and stakes of Asian college basketball, the 2026-27 season stands as the league’s boldest step yet in its mission to grow the university game across the region. By bringing elite competition onto campuses in new markets, AUBL is building rivalries that cross borders, introducing a new generation of fans to college basketball and giving student-athletes the chance to compete internationally while pursuing their education.

History starts on Nov. 22.