Four qualifying tournaments will feature teams from 12 countries
28 elite U18 teams to compete in 2026 Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Qualifiers
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The 2026 Adidas NextGen EuroLeague qualifying phase will feature 28 of the top under-18 programs from across Europe and beyond, competing in four three-day tournaments between February and March.
Teams representing 12 countries will take part in the qualifying events as they pursue a place in the season-ending NextGen EuroLeague Finals, where the continental junior club champion will be crowned alongside the EuroLeague Final Four.
Nineteen of the participating teams are junior sections of EuroLeague clubs, while six represent BKT EuroCup organizations. Three additional teams have been invited, and each tournament will also include a host NextGen Team.
Ulm Qualifying Tournament (February 6-8)
The first qualifying tournament will be hosted by ratiopharm ulm in Ulm. The participants are:
- Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana
- EA7 Emporio Armani Milan
- LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
- Mega Super Belgrade
- NextGen Team Ulm
- Occident Basket Manresa
- Olympiacos Piraeus
Abu Dhabi Qualifying Tournament (February 27-March 1)
The second event will be held in Abu Dhabi and will feature:
- Aris Thessaloniki
- AS Monaco
- Dubai Basketball
- NextGen Team Abu Dhabi
- London Lions
- Real Madrid
- Valencia Basket
- Zalgiris Kaunas
Bologna Qualifying Tournament (March 13-15)
The third qualifying tournament will take place in Bologna, hosted by Virtus Bologna, with the following teams in the field:
- Dolomiti Energia Trento
- FC Barcelona
- FC Bayern Munich
- Fundacion Baskonia-Alaves
- NextGen Team Bologna
- Panathinaikos Athens
- Paris Basketball
Belgrade Qualifying Tournament (March 20-22)
The fourth and final qualifying tournament will be staged in Belgrade and hosted by Crvena Zvezda Belgrade. Competing alongside the hosts will be:
- Anadolu Efes Istanbul
- FMP Belgrade
- Hapoel Tel Aviv
- Maccabi Tel Aviv
- NextGen Team Belgrade
- Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade
- Pole France INSEP Paris
Across the four tournaments, teams from Spain (5), Serbia (4), France (4), Greece (3), Italy (3), Germany (2), Israel (2), Lithuania (1), Slovenia (1), Turkiye (1), the United Arab Emirates (1), and the United Kingdom (1) will be represented.
The qualifying tournaments will determine the teams advancing to the NextGen EuroLeague Finals, completing the field for the competition’s championship phase.