Dates and competition zones were set on Monday for the group phase of the inaugural Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league's mid-season Club Cup.

The inaugural Club Cup will be held during the international break in a competition format, featuring the group stage and the finals.

Sun Minghui (L) of Zhejiang Lions goes for a basket during a match between Zhejiang Lions and Shandong Heroes at the 2024-2025 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Oct. 17, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Han)

First-stage matches will take place from November 12 to 17 in four places: Dingzhou in Hebei Province, Huizhou in Guangdong Province, and Yantai and Qingdao, both in Shandong Province.

The 20 teams are divided into four groups to play in a round-robin format, with the top two teams of each group advancing to the finals.

The reigning champion Liaoning Flying Leopards are placed in Group D along with the Qingdao Eagles, the Nanjing Monkey Kings, the Beijing Ducks and the Xinjiang Flying Tigers, and will play their matches in Qingdao.

The second stage, to be held from February 9 to 15, 2025 with the competition zones yet to be confirmed, will feature a single-elimination format to decide the top four finishers.

The Club Cup will adopt 10 minutes of playing time for each quarter, and a maximum of two overseas players are allowed to step on the court simultaneously throughout the match.

The tournament has a total prize purse of around 10 million yuan (1.4 million U.S. dollars).