On March 14^th, the People's Government of Guangdong Province announced at a press conference that the opening match of the "YueBA" (a play on "CBA" and Guangdong's abbreviated name "Yue") will kick off on March 21^st, marking the official launch of the 2026 Guangdong Sports City League.

The opening match of YueBA will kick off on March 21^st at Tianhe Sports Center Gymnasium in Guangzhou, as Guangzhou takes on Zhongshan at 7:30 p.m. The league, featuring a total of 125 games, will run until August. The Yuechao (Guangdong Super League) will commence in late April, with 123 matches to be played through October.

All 21 cities in Guangdong Province will participate, with 11 teams in the East division and 10 in the West division, divided by the Pearl River. This will mark the broadest geographic participation in the history of Guangdong basketball and football leagues and will also make it one of the largest provincial inter-city sports leagues in China.

Regarding player eligibility, the league excludes professional athletes, ensuring that homegrown players from all walks of life have the opportunity to shine on the provincial stage.

In terms of age requirements, both competitions reflect broad public participation. The minimum age is set at 16, giving young people the opportunity to compete alongside adults and helping develop reserve talent. The upper age limits for football and basketball are set at 40 and 45 respectively, allowing seasoned players to continue representing their hometowns.

The YueBA and Yuechao are set to run concurrently, using the home-and-away format that directly brings the games to local communities. The two competitions will feature 248 high-level matches, meaning that every weekend, exciting games will take place in different cities throughout Guangdong, offering a year-round sporting spectacle not to be missed.

The YueBA and Yuechao are expected to strengthen the ties between sporting events, cities, and local residents. They encourage cities to delve into their unique sporting identity, cultural genes, urban features, and compelling stories, transforming these elements into recognizable visual symbols, catchy cheering songs, shared match-day traditions, and immersive city experiences. In doing so, the competitions not only aim to deliver thrilling competition on the field and court, but also to achieve cross-industry integration outside the arena, transforming the attention generated by the events into new momentum for cultural tourism, consumption, and development.

广东体育城市联赛3月21日启幕

3月14日，广东省人民政府举行新闻发布会宣布粤BA揭幕战将于 3 月 21 日打响，标志着2026年广东体育城市联赛正式拉开大幕。

粤BA揭幕战将于3月21日19时30分在广州天河体育中心体育馆打响，由广州队对阵中山队，合计进行125场比赛，持续到8月份。粤超将于4月下旬开赛，共123场比赛，赛事将持续到10月。

在参赛城市上，广东省21个地市全员参赛，以珠江为界划分为东西两大片区——东区11队、西区10队，这不仅创下了广东篮球、足球赛事史上覆盖范围最广的纪录，也将打造成为全国规模最大的省级体育城市联赛之一。

在球员身份上，坚持纯粹的群众属性，限制职业运动员参赛，让土生土长、各行各业的“草根英雄”都有机会站上省级竞赛舞台。

在年龄设置上，两项赛事体现广泛的全民参与：参赛年龄要求最小16周岁，让青少年有机会和成年人同场竞技，衔接后备人才的培养；足球和篮球的上限分别放宽至40岁和45周岁，让老将还能为家乡披挂上阵。

粤BA与粤超双轨并进，坚持“主客场制”办赛特色，把比赛真正送到老百姓的家门口。双赛齐飞，248场高水平较量将轮番上演，这意味着每逢周末在全省不同的地方都有比赛火热进行，一场贯穿全年的体育盛宴不容错过。

粤BA和粤超让赛事与城市、市民与城市的连接更加紧密，鼓励每个地市挖掘自身的体育性格、文化基因、城市特色、精彩故事，并转化为可感知的视觉符号、可传唱的助威战歌、可共鸣的赛场仪式、可体验的城市场景。这不仅实现竞技场上的精彩对决，更实现赛场之外的跨界融合，将赛事流量转化为文旅增量、消费增量、发展增量。

文｜记者 柴智 郝浩宇 龙希
图｜记者 黄城栋 张瑞柠
翻译｜黄健新
审校｜郑奕玲