Entering its 5th season, the National Student Basketball Tournament (NUC) continues to be expected to become a highly competitive playground, where students across the country have the opportunity to compete, rub shoulders and affirm their abilities in an increasingly professional league system.
Through each season, the number of participating teams has increased, professional quality has improved, and the tournament creates more space for the basketball movement in universities, academies and colleges to develop.
The 2025 season is the clearest proof of that expansion when 161 teams from 131 schools across the country participated. A total of 265 matches were held from the qualifying round to the final round.
Playground for student development
The noteworthy point of NUC is not in creating a simple tournament. For students, this is an environment for football teams to maintain regular competition activities, instead of just training and competing within the school or amateur tournaments.
From the 2026 season, NUC basketball is also chosen as a basketball sport at the 6th National Student Games in 2026. This is a noteworthy step up, because the goal of the teams is no longer to compete for the NUC championship but also to win the right to participate in the national-level student sports arena.
The Northern qualifying round has 102 matches, taking place from August 5 to 26 at the Hanoi University of Science and Technology Gymnasium. This area has 3 men's and 2 women's slots for the final round.
The Southern qualifying round takes place from August 9 to 23, the Central region from August 25 to 29. 8. The final round is expected to be held in Ho Chi Minh City from September 4 to 11 with 14 teams, including 8 men's teams and 6 women's teams.
Expecting a more competitive season
The NBA entering its 5th year also sets expectations for a season with higher professional quality. As the number of participating teams increases, the competition in the qualifiers is predicted to be fiercer.
The presence of traditional teams also creates pressure for new teams to improve the quality of the squad, coaching work and competition organization capacity. This is a necessary factor for the student basketball level to improve each season.
In addition to expertise, NUC 2026 also made progress in communication work when VTV participated in coordinating the organization from the beginning. The opening, closing and most matches of the NUC 2026 system are broadcast on VTV6, and also appear on the VTVgo platform. Digital channels, fan pages and TikTok platform continue to expand access to the tournament.
When put on a broader media system, student matches have more opportunities to reach audiences outside of school. This is also a way for football teams, athletes and schools to have more motivation to invest in the movement.
From a student basketball tournament held annually, NUC is gradually expanding into a student sports system with three key sports including basketball, football and volleyball.
This season is expected to continue to consolidate NUC's position as a national-scale competition arena, professional achievements go hand in hand with the goal of developing the sports movement in the university environment.
