Asian University Basketball League
Upcoming season or competition: 2026 Asian University Basketball League | |
 | |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | November 29, 2024 |
| First season | 2025 |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Region | Asia-Pacific |
Most recent champion | National Chengchi University |
| Website | www |
The Asian University Basketball League (AUBL) is a college basketball league featuring teams from the Asia-Pacific region. The league was established in November 2024 as part of a partnership between Realeague and Asian University Sports Federation (AUSF), with its first edition running through August 2025.[1]
Li Jintian, who is the CEO of Realeague, is also the CEO of the AUBL. The league also gained investment from multiple basketball personalities, including Yao Ming, David Blitzer, Joseph Tsai, and Marc Lasry.[2][3]
History
On November 29, 2024, Realeague entered a ten-year partnership with the Asian University Sports Federation (AUSF) to launch a continental college basketball league for top programs across the Asia continent. At the same time, a test event named the Asian University Basketball Challenge (AUBC) was being hosted in Hong Kong. The AUBC featured six university teams; with Yonsei University from South Korea ultimately winning the championship.[1][4]
In August 2025, AUBL kickstarted their inaugural season with twelve teams, culminating in National Chengchi University beating Tsinghua University in the Finals to win the first AUBL championship.[5] The inaugural event drew over 65 million viewers across its online live streams.[2] In 2026, the AUBL expanded its reach by adding representatives from the Philippines and Australia.[6][7]
Arena
Since 2025, the AUBL has hosted all of its games at Binjiang Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China. The AUBL uses a digital arena setup with a 270-degree screen around the perimeter of the court and a fully-digital court.[8]
Media coverage
For the countries without broadcasting rights, the tournament also available via AUBL Youtube channel.
| Region | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
.svg.png){kind=small} Australia |
beIN Sports |
 New Zealand | |
 Brunei |
Astro |
 Malaysia | |
 China |
Migu TV |
| Youku | |
| Weibo Sports | |
| Zhibo8 | |
| Xiaohongshu | |
| Tencent | |
 Hong Kong |
ViuTV |
 Macau | |
| Indian subcontinent | FanCode |
 Indonesia |
MNC Media |
 Japan |
U-Next |
 Mongolia |
PSN |
 Philippines |
Cignal |
 Singapore |
Hub Sports |
 South Korea |
Coupang Play |
 Taiwan |
Videoland |
 Thailand |
True Sports |
Results
| Year | Host city | Finals | Third-Place Game | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champion | Score | Runner-up | Third place | Score | Fourth place | ||||
| 2025 Details |
Hangzhou |
 Chengchi University |
82–79 | Tsinghua University |
Hakuoh University |
90–86 | Etugen University | ||
| 2026 Details |
Hangzhou |
Shanghai Jiao Tong University |
72–69 | Chengchi University |
Waseda University |
98–91 | Tsinghua University | ||
References
- 1 2 "China, Japan, and South Korea Gather for an Asian "March Madness"". Observer.
- 1 2 Portnoy, Ben (2026-04-09). "Yao Ming, NBA owners among new investors in Asian college basketball league". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved 2026-07-24.
- ↑ Sim, Josh (2026-04-10). "AUBL lands investment from Marc Lasry and David Blitzer". SportsPro. Retrieved 2026-07-24.
- ↑ "Students have a ball in Hong Kong". China Daily.
- ↑ "NCCU Griffins win first Asian University Basketball League title". Focus Taiwan.
- ↑ Villanueva, Ralph Edwin (2026-05-13). "Fighting Maroons join Asian University Basketball League in China". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 2026-07-24.
- ↑ Li, Matthew (2026-05-13). "UP to battle Asia's collegiate giants in AUBL debut". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved 2026-07-24.
- ↑ "AUBL Inaugural Tournament Makes History". Businesswire.
- ↑ "Where to watch". AUBL.