NBTC · Season 17 | 2026-2027

NBTC Season 17 Eligibility Rules and Guidelines

Local Qualifying Tournament rulebook · Season 17 | 2026-2027 · Player eligibility & qualification system

Why these rules changed

Simplify: A standardized, easy-to-follow qualification process for every province.
More opportunity: More chances for teams and players to compete and qualify.
Fewer disputes: Clear eligibility rules that eliminate confusion and protests.

Every player must meet these baseline requirements.

Age requirement: The player must meet the NBTC age cutoff for the division (born 2007 or later).
Currently enrolled (SY 2026-2027): Proof of enrollment signed by the school registrar, or a registrar certification. Out-of-school youth (ALS) must show proof of enrollment too.
Filipino citizen: The player must be a Filipino citizen.

The player's current school location determines their region. Not hometown. Not birthplace. Not residence.

Hometown, birthplace, or residence does not determine eligibility.

Juniors and seniors players are not eligible for LQTs or Regionals.

Not eligible: Current UAAP / NCAA juniors and seniors players cannot play in Local Qualifying Tournaments (LQTs) or Regional Championships. Reason: UAAP and NCAA schools already receive direct representation in the NBTC National Finals.
Still eligible: Former UAAP / NCAA players — provided they meet age, enrollment, and regional eligibility.

Revised rule: players may join more than one LQT.

No overlapping schedules: A player cannot join two LQTs whose tournament dates overlap — they must choose one.
Locked once qualified: Once a player helps a team qualify for Regionals, they cannot play in any other LQT or help another team qualify.
Province-locked: A player enrolled in any city within Cavite province cannot play in any city within Batangas province.
No cap until qualified: No limit on the number of LQTs a player may join — until their team qualifies for Regionals.

Players may play in multiple LQTs — but only within the province where they are enrolled.

Topping up a qualified team's roster.

Up to 3 reinforcements: The maximum number of players a qualified team may recruit from teams that did not qualify in the same LQT.
Up to 15 players: The maximum total roster size (including reinforcements) for the Regional Championship.
Approval required: All reinforcements must satisfy NBTC eligibility requirements and receive NBTC approval before playing.

Same eligibility rules apply — with province-wide recruiting. Buy-in teams must meet the same requirements as every other team:

Recruiting: Buy-in teams may recruit players from anywhere within their eligible province — but not from teams in that province that already qualified via LQT.
Releasing a qualified player to a buy-in team: If a qualified LQT team releases a player, the buy-in team must first get written approval from that qualified team before the player can join their roster.

No school-enrollment eligibility restrictions. Open to:

The age requirement still applies. Enrollment location does not.

Registration is now mandatory for every player and coach.

1. Register: Every player and coach must register on the NBTC registration platform.
2. Confirm before play: The tournament commissioner requires the head coach or team rep to be registered before the team may play in the LQT.
3. Or face penalty: Failure to register results in disqualification or game forfeiture.

Player: A player who plays for another team after becoming an LQT champion player shall be disqualified, and possibly suspended for the remainder of the NBTC season, or from all NBTC events.
Team: A team that knowingly fields an LQT champion player may face forfeiture of games, disqualification, loss of qualification, or suspension from future NBTC events.