A total of 19 teams from 16 colleges and universities in Metro Manila and nearby provinces are set to duke it out for the right to be called the champions of Ang Liga Season 13. The curtain will be raised today, July 5, at the San Beda College Football Field in Mendiola, Manila.
The competition is split into two divisions. Division I features 12 teams evenly halved to two groups of six. All of the participants here are member schools of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA Philippines) and the University Athletic Association of the Philippines. Respective leagues’ champions San Beda College and Far Eastern University banner the cast of teams. The UAAP Season 77 champions are joined by UST, Ateneo, Lyceum, Adamson, and EAC in Group A. In Group B, Perpetual, St. Benilde, UP, NU, and UE are the five teams set to clash with the kings of NCAA Season 90 football. After a single round robin group phase, the best four teams of each group will comprise the crossover quarterfinals. The four quarterfinal tie winners will vie for a place to the final. The corresponding losers in the semifinal round will meet to determine who finishes in third.
Meanwhile, seven teams find themselves in an exciting single round robin group of Division 2. Another set of teams from UP, Lyceum, San Beda, and NU plus the varsity squads of University of Makati, Malayan Colleges Laguna, and University of Batangas. The top four at the end of the first round will head into the semifinals. At that point, a pair of knockout matches will lead the winners to the final and the losers to a battle for third place.
The group stage matches will be mainly staged at the San Beda College in Manila. Some games though are scheduled to be played at the University of Makati and at the Malayan Colleges in Laguna. All knockout games, including the four-game final day blockbuster on August 8, will be held at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
