Players compete during the Zhejiang Provincial City Basketball League final at Huanglong Sports Center in Hangzhou on Feb 4. [Photo/IC]

Zhejiang province will expand its city basketball league and advance its first provincial city football league in 2026, with competition plans announced at a briefing in Hangzhou on March 10.

The second Zhejiang Provincial City Basketball League, known as "ZheBA", follows its inaugural season in 2025, which featured 487 games across 90 county-level regions. The tournament recorded 1.79 million in-person attendances, while livestream viewership exceeded 1 billion, and total views surpassed 30 billion. The event also generated more than 10 billion yuan (about $1.45 billion) in combined cultural, tourism, and sports-related consumption.

The 2026 edition will expand the number of teams in the city championship stage from 22 to 28 and introduce a repechage mechanism. The preliminary rounds will run from May to June, with the group stage shortened to 14 rounds. The knockout stage will be extended to about two months.

Player eligibility rules remain broadly unchanged. Participants are registered based on their place of birth or long-term residence and may represent only one team per season. Professional players, including those from the Chinese Basketball Association and its development squads, are not eligible.

Players compete during the Ningbo City Football League match in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, Jan 25. [Photo/IC]

Zhejiang's first provincial city football league is already underway, with municipal-level qualifiers taking place across all 11 cities and set to conclude in early April.

The provincial competition is set to run from early April to mid-June, with a tentative start date of April 6. A total of 62 matches will be played, including a round-robin stage and knockout rounds. Each city will field one team, with squads of up to 60 registered players.

Participation is open to male players aged 16 and above with Chinese nationality, including those from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, subject to residency or registration requirements. Current professional players are not eligible, though some former professionals and university-level players may participate under roster limits.

All matches will follow standard 11-a-side rules, with referees appointed by the Zhejiang Football Association. Video assistant referee technology will be used throughout the tournament.