BEIJING - The 2021-22 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) season will open on October 16, the league's governing body announced on Wednesday.

Defending champions Guangdong Southern Tigers will play against the Shenzhen Aviators in the new season's opener.

The 2021-22 CBA season features 20 teams, including newcomers the Ningbo Rockets, and 38 rounds are scheduled in the three-stage regular season.

According to Wednesday's announcement, the first stage of the regular season, 13 rounds in total, will be played between October 16 and November 14 in Zhuji, east China's Zhejiang Province in a championship format, as it was run last season. Played in two venues, some of the matches at this stage will allow spectators in.

Preseason warmup matches are slated from October 11 to 14 in Zhuji.

Four foreign players can be registered for each team, and as many as four can enter the list in every match.

Remaining matches of the regular season and the playoffs are subject to further notice, the announcement added.

The CBA All-star Weekend is scheduled on March 26 and 27, 2022. The playoffs are planned to kick off on April 24, 2022, featuring top 12 teams in the regular season.

The playoffs will conclude no later than May 20, 2022.