EASL to tip off 2026-27 season Oct. 3 with PLG's Braves

Taipei, Sept. 28 (CNA) The East Asia Super League (EASL) will begin its 2026-27 season in Cebu, the Philippines, on Oct. 3, with Taiwan's Taipei Fubon Braves facing Macau Hou Chon in the opening game, the league said Monday.

The Braves will play at 4 p.m. at SM Seaside Cebu Arena, followed by the Philippines' Abra Weavers against Hong Kong Eastern in the second game of the opening doubleheader, according to the EASL's regular-season schedule.

Three teams from Taiwan's P. LEAGUE+ (PLG) will compete: the Braves, two-time consecutive runners-up Taoyuan Pauian Pilots and first-time entrants Tainan TSG GhostHawks.

The GhostHawks will host South Korea's Goyang Sono Skygunners in their season opener at Fengshan Stadium in Kaohsiung on Oct. 21. The Pilots will open at home against Japan's Ryukyu Golden Kings at Taoyuan Arena on Oct. 28.

The EASL brings together clubs from domestic basketball leagues across the region. This season's 12 teams comprise three each from Taiwan and Japan, two from South Korea, and one each from Hong Kong, Macau, Mongolia and the Philippines.

Five clubs will make their EASL debuts, including the Abra Weavers, the first team from the Philippines' Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League to enter the competition. The others are Macau Hou Chon, the Goyang Sono Skygunners, the GhostHawks and Japan's Nagasaki Velca.

The teams are divided into three groups of four. Each club will play its three group opponents once at home and once away, giving it six games in a 36-game group stage running from October 2026 through February 2027.

The top two teams in each group will advance to the six-team postseason in March, when the league will crown its champion.

The EASL has yet to announce the champion's prize for the new season. Last season's winner received US$1.5 million.