Check out the thoughts of the clubs' leaders after the draw
2025-26 EuroCup Draw reaction: Quotes from clubs
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Following the conclusion of the 2025-26 BKT EuroCup Draw, the heads of some clubs competing in the competition shared their thoughts on the upcoming season.
Group A
Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana
Chechu Mulero, sports director
"The draw has given us some familiar opponents that we have already faced last season, but we have not played three teams. We have a challenging regular season ahead of us, but we will try to take advantage of the opportunities to qualify for the playoffs, which is our main goal. Then we will see how the competition unfolds. There are challenging opponents and big clubs in both groups, which promises to be a tight competition, but we will be ready to fight for victory in every match."
U-BT Cluj-Napoca
Mihai Silvasan, head coach
"At first glance, it is a strong group, extremely strong. We will meet quality teams. We know Reyer very well, as well as Hapoel. Bahcesehir is last season’s semifinalist. Overall, I would say that our group is stronger. The teams have not finalized their squads and there is still a long way to go before we can give a clear opinion about the value of each opponent. We are happy to participate in the BKT EuroCup again. We have the opportunity to evolve for another season at this level and we will do everything in our power to form a competitive team."
Umana Reyer Venice
Neven Spahija, head coach
"Even though we belong to the same club group that we have already faced in the past seasons, all the Eurocup teams are - as always - very competitive: they want to give and achieve the best. And we are certainly among them. We have ambition and the desire to win. We are building a good team and the group that has been created so far is solid and I believe that we can be competitive with everyone. We have a quality roster and suitable to face the group that awaits us. It is certainly different from last season and we will have to create a new chemistry but I have no doubt that we will get some satisfaction."
Alessandro Frosini, sports director
"It is a high-level competition and we will be part of a balanced group, for which we will have to travel throughout Europe. Perhaps never like this year have the clubs, from both groups, had so much experience and knowledge of the tournament, precisely because of the continuity of their presence in the Eurocup: Hapoel, Cedevita, Bahcesehir - for example - in Group A and Bourg-En-Bresse, Ulm or Besiktas, in Group B. Many teams are still under construction but the competitiveness they have brought to the field in past seasons is unquestionable. In our group no match is obvious or less important, we will have to approach each day in the best possible way. We want to be competitive and we will do everything to make our fans proud."
Aris Midea Thessaloniki
Lefteris Arvanitis, club vice-president
"We are very happy to participate for the third consecutive year in this great Euroleague Basketball event. Like every year, the matches will be consecutive and we will have a lot of travel. What we want is to be healthy and have a very beautiful European year. Nothing can be said about the competitive part at this stage, as the teams are now forming their rosters."
Veolia Towers Hamburg
Marvin Willoughby, sporting director
"We are very proud to be in the competition again this year and have got a tough group. But that's exactly what we want. We want this tough competition and to continue to develop against strong top teams -- that's exactly why we made the decision to play internationally a few years ago. We have benefited from this in the past and are looking forward to our fifth participation in the BKT EuroCup. Our task will be to play our best Towers basketball right from the start."
Group B
Panionios Athens
Luka Pavicevic, head coach
"Panionios returns to a European competition after an eleven-year absence, and does so in a high-level and demanding tournament - something that is truly exciting for our fans, who will enjoy great basketball. For the coaching staff and the players, the 18 games represent an additional championship, which is a privilege to have in many ways. However, it is also an obligation to adjust and upscale our work and performance accordingly, in every area of operating and competing under new demands.
This is an important moment for the club, which is growing stronger, evolve and pursue the standard and importance that has already been built into its history and DNA. We want to be ready for this exciting season, with respect for the club, ourselves, our fans, our opponents, and of course, the competition itself."
Nikos Gkikas, team captain
"It’s truly great that Panionios has returned to European competitions, and even more so on the 50th anniversary of the club’s very first European game! The EuroCup is a demanding competition. It’s essentially playing in a second league, as we’ll have a minimum of 18 games. For us players, it’s a huge motivation to compete in such a high-level tournament, and the same goes for the fans, who will have the chance to enjoy top-quality games and thrilling basketball. We want to be ready to meet the demands."
Lietkabelis Panevezys
Jonas Maciulis, general manager
"We are happy to have the opportunity to compete in a tournament of this level, the BKT EuroCup. We got a fairly tough group, but our opponents are definitely beatable. We will have to fight with everyone. We hope that the fans will have missed European basketball after the summer and will actively support us in the battles against really solid teams. The most important thing for us now is to do our summer work well and prepare for the season."
Dolomiti Energia Trento
Luigi Longhi, club president
"We are very proud to participate in the EuroCup. We have been placed in a very stimulating group, which includes many European clubs of great importance. We will face teams that we already know very well, such as Buducnost Podgorica, Ulm, Bourg-en-Bresse, Besiktas, Lietkabelis and London, but we will also have the opportunity to measure ourselves against teams that we have never met before, such as Chemnitz and Panionios Athens. We can't wait to start this adventure, in our tenth participation in the EuroCup!"
Rudy Gaddo, sports director
"This year, too, the EuroCup draw anticipates a season full of fascinating challenges and top-level opponents. Having the opportunity to measure ourselves against organizations of this caliber represents an opportunity for great growth and unparalleled professional satisfaction for both the club and the players and staff. We are therefore approaching the competition with enthusiasm and a great desire to do well, giving our boys a showcase that we are certain they will honor with their talent and commitment."
Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse
François Lamy, sporting director
"The EuroCup this season is more even, with Hapoel Tel Aviv and Valencia having moved up to the EuroLeague. But this will create renewed ambition among clubs capable of significantly increasing their sports expenditure budget. The three Turkish clubs, Hapoel Jerusalem, and Buducnost Podgorica, are clubs capable of investing a few million more if they see a chance of joining the EuroLeague. Our Group B will therefore include three clubs who will be investing three, four or five times more than our wage bill in their teams (Turk Telekom, Besiktas and Buducnost), but the rest of the group is fairly evenly matched, even if the teams in the lower echelons of Group A are weaker than in our group, where Chemnitz is a rising club which knows how to win, in a small, passionate venue; Panionios Athens and London should present ambitious means for their comeback; and Ulm and Trento are two very strong sides in Germany and Italy. Nevertheless, we must be ambitious, and our aim will be to qualify for the Playoffs in the best possible position. Economic logic puts us between 4th and 6th place, so it's up to us to try and outperform this rationale."
ratiopharm Ulm
Thorsten Leibenath, sporting director
"We are one of the teams with the most games all-time in this top-class competition, so we are delighted that at least 18 more will be added this season. I think both groups are very evenly matched and promise a lot of excitement right up to the playoffs. Personally, I'm looking forward to meeting Chemnitz, Panionios Athens and London, three teams we haven't faced in the EuroCup before. Trento, Besiktas Istanbul and Buducnost were our opponents last season. I'm also looking forward to meeting Lietkabelis, Turk Telekom and Bourg-en-Bresse again."
