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Rules & Regulations for CEL Competitions 

CEL COMPETITION REGULATIONS 2026/27

Effective Date: 7 June 2026

Published by: CEL League Administration

Commissioner: Viktor Vladov

Official Language: English

PART I – GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Article 1 – Purpose

The CEL Competition Regulations govern all official CEL competitions conducted through NBA 2K26.

CEL competitions are founded upon the principles of:

  • Fair Play;

  • Competitive Integrity;

  • Realistic Basketball;

  • Mutual Respect;

  • Sportsmanship;

  • Community Development.

Participants are expected to respect both the letter and the spirit of these Regulations at all times.

Any conduct contrary to the spirit of the competition may be reviewed and sanctioned by the Commissioner and League Administration.

Article 2 – Competition Season

The official CEL season begins upon announcement by the Commissioner and concludes following the completion of all official competitions.

Competition formats, league sizes, promotion and relegation structures may vary from season to season.

Article 3 – Official Communication

The official language of CEL is English.

The official platform for league communication is the CEL Discord server.

Players are expected to:

  • regularly check their matchup chats;

  • suggest available dates and CET times;

  • communicate delays or scheduling issues promptly.

Match scheduling should preferably be conducted through the official Discord server.

PART II – COMPETITION STRUCTURE

Article 4 – Official Competitions

CEL competitions include:

  • EuroLeague;

  • EuroCup;

  • Cyber BCL.

Competition formats are determined by the League Administration.

Promotion and relegation exist between competitions.

The exact number of promoted and relegated teams may vary each season.

The Commissioner may award sporting wildcards in exceptional circumstances.

Article 5 – Competition Formats

Regular Season:

  • 4 x 6 minute quarters.

EuroLeague:

  • Play-Ins and Playoffs follow official competition formats.

  • Play-In and Playoff games are played with 4 x 10 minute quarters.

EuroCup:

  • Competition structure follows the real-life format.

  • Playoff games are played with 4 x 10 minute quarters.

Cyber BCL:

  • Seven groups.

  • Top two teams from each group qualify automatically.

  • Seven third-placed teams and one wildcard team compete for the remaining places.

  • Play-In rounds are single elimination.

  • Last 16 onwards:

    • Best-of-three series.

    • 4 x 10 minute quarters.

  • Semi-finals and Final are played as a Final Four event.

Article 6 – Hardware Requirements

Every participant must have access to:

  • PlayStation 5;

  • Xbox Series X;

  • Xbox Series S;

or have access to a console through the ESB Hub where applicable.

PART III – MATCH OPERATIONS

Article 7 – Scheduling

All official times are CET/CEST.

Players must:

  • arrange matches in matchup chats;

  • agree upon a time;

  • post the agreed time in #scheduled-games.

Games must be scheduled at least 60 minutes before tip-off.

Shorter notice requires administrative approval.

Article 8 – Delays and Postponements

Players must inform opponents before scheduled tip-off if delays occur.

Maximum acceptable delay:
20 minutes.

Postponements require opponent agreement.

Extensions require League Administration approval.

Rules are intended to respect the time of all participants.

Failure to communicate may result in disciplinary measures.

Article 9 – Schedule Priority

Once a game has been agreed and posted in #scheduled-games, both participants are expected to honour the appointment.

Force majeure situations including:

  • illness;

  • work obligations;

  • family emergencies;

  • internet outages;

  • power outages;

  • other serious unforeseen circumstances;

shall be reviewed by League Administration.

Article 10 – Streaming and Hosting

The home team hosts and streams official matches.

Exceptions:

  • Xbox users cannot stream to YouTube.

  • In PlayStation versus Xbox matchups, the PlayStation player shall stream and host.

  • Xbox versus Xbox regular season games may use Twitch where necessary.

If internet quality creates significant issues, the Commissioner may require a host swap.

Article 11 – Jerseys

The player responsible for streaming shall receive jersey selection priority.

The opposing player shall choose colours that clearly distinguish both teams.

General principle:
Dark versus Light.

Article 12 – Result Reporting

The winning player must report results within three hours.

Procedure:

  • Open Calendar.

  • Select completed game.

  • Open View Boxscore.

  • Press R2 until Team Stats.

  • Post Team Stats in #report-result.

  • Tag the appropriate competition.

Repeated failure may result in suspension.

PART IV – GAMEPLAY REGULATIONS

Article 13 – Defensive Principles

Players are expected to primarily play on-ball defence.

Permitted:

  • rotations;

  • cutter coverage;

  • transition defence;

  • helping on broken plays.

Emergency switching to recover from screens or animation issues is acceptable.

Excessive CPU defensive reliance is prohibited.

Article 14 – Offensive Principles

Playbooks are unrestricted.

Custom playbooks are encouraged.

Pick and roll basketball is unrestricted.

5-Out formations are permitted but shall not constitute a player's primary offensive identity throughout a game.

Repeated or excessive use intended to exploit gameplay mechanics is prohibited.

Isolation basketball is permitted but shall not be excessively spammed.

Players are expected to employ varied offensive strategies and realistic basketball principles.

Article 15 – Inbounds

After made baskets:

The inbound must occur within the player's own half court.

Exception:
Final minute of the game.

Article 16 – Coaching and Settings

Defensive settings should be completed before inviting an opponent.

Freelance offensive adjustments may be made during gameplay.

Camera recommendations:

  • 2K Camera;

  • Zoom 1;

  • Height 10;

  • CUT preferred over SPIN.

Broadcast cameras are also permitted.

Shot timing:

  • Button;

  • Stick;

  • Rhythm shooting;

are all permitted.

Shot meter:
ON or OFF.

Article 17 – Gameplay Integrity

All defensive systems are permitted.

Known gameplay exploits intended to create unrealistic competitive advantages are prohibited.

Deliberate left-right movement abuse is strictly forbidden.

If sufficient evidence exists, League Administration may review and overturn match results.

Stream sniping is prohibited.

PART V – MEDIA AND BROADCASTING

Article 18 – Broadcast Obligations

Official broadcasts are part of the CEL competition structure.

Players participating in:

  • EuroLeague Play-Ins;

  • EuroLeague Playoffs;

  • EuroCup playoff stages;

  • Cyber BCL Last 16 onwards;

must remain available for official broadcasts.

The Commissioner may invite players for professional livestream coverage.

Participation is mandatory unless exempted by the Commissioner.

PART VI – SPORTING INTEGRITY

Article 19 – Rosters

Rosters are locked once the season begins.

Player ratings remain stable during active competition unless League Administration determines otherwise.

Real-life transfers may be implemented by the Commissioner.

Transfers occurring after the conclusion of the real-life EuroLeague season shall normally apply to the following CEL season.

Article 20 – Injuries

Preseason injuries reflect real-life conditions.

Injuries may occur naturally through gameplay.

Maximum injury duration:
Four games.

Longer injuries must be reported immediately.

League Administration will reduce qualifying injuries to four games.

Delayed reporting only reduces remaining injury duration.

Article 21 – Weekly Challenges

Players may earn attribute upgrades through weekly challenges.

Proof must be submitted through official channels.

Rewards activate upon Commissioner approval.

Article 22 – Ambulance Cards

Ambulance Cards cannot be purchased.

Distribution is determined solely by the Commissioner.

Article 23 – Player Departures

Leaving the Discord server:

  • Best available player suspended three games.

  • Administrative rights removed where applicable.

Leaving the league mid-season:

  • Team shall be CPU controlled using an easier difficulty setup.

  • Returning players require Commissioner approval.

  • Returning players normally begin from the lowest available competition unless awarded a wildcard.

Forced victories:
Injuries shall be removed.

Forced defeats:
Injuries remain.

PART VII – DISCIPLINARY REGULATIONS

Article 24 – Quitting

All games are expected to be completed.

Quitting a game may result in disciplinary action.

A quit before the final minute may result in suspension and administrative review.

Repeated offences carry increased sanctions.

If a player forfeits a match:
Official score:
20-0.

The Commissioner shall determine sporting consequences where necessary.

Article 25 – Behaviour

Participants shall conduct themselves respectfully.

Prohibited conduct includes:

  • harassment;

  • discrimination;

  • hate speech;

  • threats;

  • repeated toxic behaviour;

  • unsportsmanlike conduct;

  • public attacks on League Administration.

Suspensions and sanctions may be imposed.

Article 26 – Account Sharing

Account sharing and substitute players are strictly prohibited.

Sanctions may include:

  • relegation;

  • suspension;

  • permanent exclusion from CEL competitions.

Article 27 – Evidence

Evidence may include:

  • streams;

  • clips;

  • screenshots;

  • Discord records;

  • online activity records.

League Administration may request additional evidence where necessary.

PART VIII – LEAGUE ADMINISTRATION

Article 28 – Administrative Authority

The Commissioner and League Administration govern CEL competitions.

Matches involving the Commissioner in disputes shall be reviewed by other Administrators.

Commissioner decisions are final.

Article 29 – Gameplay Updates

The Commissioner may adjust gameplay sliders and league settings during the season where necessary to:

  • maintain competitive balance;

  • reflect official NBA 2K updates;

  • prevent exploits;

  • preserve realistic basketball.

Article 30 – Rule Interpretation

Situations not expressly covered by these Regulations shall be interpreted by the Commissioner and League Administration.

Such interpretations carry the same authority as these written Regulations.

PART IX – FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 31 – Amendments

The Commissioner may amend these Regulations during the season.

Major amendments shall be publicly announced.

Article 32 – Final Authority

CEL competitions are intended to promote realistic, competitive and enjoyable basketball.

Participants are expected to uphold both the written Regulations and the spirit of fair competition.

The Commissioner retains final authority regarding the interpretation and application of these Regulations.

CEL Competition Regulations 2026/27

Effective: 7 June 2026

Published by: CEL League Administration

Commissioner: Viktor Vladov

Official Language: English

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