Basketball 

3F Galaxy players seen in the HBC 2025's final. The defending champions will begin their title campaign on March 12 in Hà Nội. — Photos courtesy of New Sports

HÀ NỘI — It is sink or swim in the ‘Pool of Death’ as both groups promise fierce battles in the fourth season of the Hà Nội Basketball Pro-am Championship 2026 (HBC) brought by VNPAY, which will be held on March 12–21.

Reigning champions 3F Galaxy will have to defend their title against tough rivals Hidden Dragons, Dwarf, ASA Timberwolves and Nghĩa Tân Hoops in Group B.

In case of winning, the 3F will lengthen their reign to three years, proving their dominance in Hà Nội and surrounding localities area.

The two-time winners will play ASA Timberwolves in the opening match at the Cầu Giấy Gymnasium.

Meanwhile Ba Đình will try to overturn the champions after losing to them in last year final.

However, their first challenge is to get past Group A rivals, with Phòng Không - Không Quân considered the toughest opponent thanks to a roster featuring several players from the Vietnam Pro Basketball League (VBA). Tsunarmy, C-Dunk and Hà Nội are also expected to pose tough competition.

As usual teams are allowed to have a maximum of two foreign players in their squads but only one can be on the court at a time.

Team representatives with their  paper slips in a draw for the tournament on March 9.

A new rule this season mandates that each team include at least two U19 players. According to the organising board, the move is intended to help young players develop their skills, strengthen the talent pipeline for clubs and promote the growth of basketball in the community.

Teams will play in a round-robin format in the group stage. The top four will qualify for the semi-finals. The champions will walk away with VNĐ40 million along with worthy gifts from sponsors. The two runners-up will pocket VNĐ30 million and VNĐ15 million respectively.

HBC 2026, organised by New Sports, a pioneer in building a multi-sport ecosystem in Việt Nam, is the opening tournament of the Việt Nam Pro-Am Basketball Championship (VBC) 2026.

All matches will be broadcast live on VTVCab's platforms and the tournament's social network.

After Hà Nội, the Đà Nẵng Pro-Am Basketball Championship (DBC) will be held in May in Đà Nẵng while the Sài Gòn Pro-Am Basketball Cup (SBC) will be organised in September in HCM City.

The VBC 2026, which will gather the strongest squads from HBC, DBC and SBC, is scheduled in December. — VNS