Titan Sports: CBA Promotion-Relegation Playoff Teams Must Pass Evaluation; Salary Arrears Violations Bar Participation

On September 10 Beijing time, Titan Sports revealed details of the promotion-relegation playoffs for the new CBA season.

According to the report, the Chinese Basketball Association officially issued the Regulations and Competition Procedures for the 2027 Professional League Promotion-Relegation System on September 10, confirming the promotion-relegation playoff rules between the CBA and NBL in 2027. The core content is that the bottom two teams in the CBA regular season and the top two teams in the NBL, four teams in total, will participate in the playoffs. The winners of the two matchups will obtain next season's CBA league admission evaluation qualification after post-match evaluations.

At last year's national basketball work conference, the Chinese Basketball Association had already made clear that it would explore restoring the promotion-relegation mechanism. Over the past several months, multiple promotion-relegation proposals had been widely discussed. Eventually, the association issued a draft plan for public feedback on August 20. After receiving feedback from CBA and NBL clubs, it finalized the Regulations and Competition Procedures for the 2027 Professional League Promotion-Relegation System based on the draft.

The regulations state that after the conclusion of the 2026-27 CBA regular season and NBL Finals, promotion-relegation playoffs will be held. The bottom two CBA regular-season teams and the NBL championship and runner-up teams will compete in crossover knockout series. The winners will play in the 2027-28 CBA season, while the losers will play in the 2027-28 NBL season.

The specific format is as follows: the 19th-place team in the 2026-27 CBA season will face the second-place team in the 2026-27 NBL season, while the 20th-place CBA team will face the NBL first-place team. Both matchups will use home-and-away two-leg series. The NBL teams will host first, while the CBA teams will host first in the return legs. The matches will be held from April 15 to April 21, 2027.

The series will use an aggregate score system, with the two games considered one 80-minute game. If the score is tied after the first game, no overtime will be played. If each team wins one game, the team with the higher aggregate score after the second game will win. If the aggregate score is tied, the second game will continue with one or more five-minute overtime periods until a winner is determined.

Regarding coach and player registration, coaching staffs and player lists must remain consistent with their respective leagues in the 2026-27 season. Foreign players will follow the rule of seven player appearances across four quarters, with a maximum of two appearances per quarter in the first three quarters and a maximum of one appearance in the fourth quarter and overtime. The registration deadline for foreign players is April 7, 2027.

Pre-match and post-match evaluations will serve as a checkpoint.

Notably, teams participating in the promotion-relegation playoffs must first pass a "pre-match evaluation." The specific requirements are as follows:

For CBA teams, if a club is disqualified by the Chinese Basketball Association during the season, has its season results declared invalid, or has major salary arrears and debt violations such as failing to pay athletes or club personnel for more than three months, it will directly lose qualification to participate in the CBA in the following season and will no longer be eligible for the promotion-relegation playoffs. However, it will retain eligibility for evaluation for admission to the following season's NBL.

If the disqualification or invalidation of results occurs during the regular season, NBL teams may receive replacements according to the season rankings. Clubs that have already obtained replacement qualification will not participate in the playoffs. If the situation occurs during the playoffs, no replacement will be made.

For NBL teams, no more than two teams may participate in the playoffs, and they must be teams that played the entire NBL season and ranked in the top two based on competition results. If replacements are needed, they will be determined according to rankings. Participating clubs must also fulfill participation obligations, including but not limited to the CBA Club Cup. Shareholders cannot hold equity in CBA clubs in any form, including indirect ownership or nominee holdings. They must also establish their own youth development teams and participate in youth competitions organized by the Chinese Basketball Association for relevant age groups.

If an NBL club meets any of the following conditions, it will also lose playoff eligibility: losing more than 80% of points under the youth-friendly venue scoring system; participating for fewer than two consecutive seasons; seriously violating the Chinese Basketball Association Disciplinary Guidelines and Penalty Regulations; having two CBA league teams already located in its province (region or municipality); or being determined by the league organizer or authorized organizing body to have seriously affected the brand or reputation of the professional league.