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2025–26 EuroLeague and EuroCup season teams and calendar confirmed

2025–26 EuroLeague and EuroCup season teams and calendar confirmed

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circa 8 ore fa4 Minuto di lettura

2025–26 EuroLeague and EuroCup season teams and calendar confirmed

The Assembly of Syndicated Shareholders of Euroleague Commercial Assets (ECA) convened today to lay the foundation for the 2025–26 basketball season. Members reviewed the season’s By-Laws and took several key decisions, outlined below.

Expansion and Participating Teams

Following the Board’s approval to expand the EuroLeague to 20 teams starting with the 2025–26 season, the Assembly approved the official list of participating clubs for both the EuroLeague and the BKT EuroCup.

EuroLeague Teams (Alphabetical Order):

Anadolu Efes Istanbul, AS Monaco, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, Dubai Basketball, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, FC Barcelona, FC Bayern Munich, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, Olympiacos Piraeus, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, Paris Basketball, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, Real Madrid, Valencia Basket, Virtus Segafredo Bologna, and Zalgiris Kaunas.

AS Monaco and Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv earned their EuroLeague spots through EuroCup qualification rules.

Long-Term Wildcards

The Assembly approved the allocation of long-term wildcards to the following clubs:

Three-year duration: Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, Valencia Basket, Virtus Segafredo Bologna
Five-year duration: Dubai Basketball

These wildcards aim to ensure the League’s long-term sustainability and support its strategic expansion to 20 teams. By fostering stability for participating clubs, the League reinforces its commitment to developing long-term projects across both established and emerging markets.

Additionally, it was agreed to continue conversations with Paris Basketball around a potential long-term collaboration.

BKT EuroCup Teams (Alphabetical Order):

7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys, Aris Midea Thessaloniki, Bahcesehir College Istanbul, BAXI Manresa, Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse, Dolomiti Energia Trento, Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem, London Lions, Neptunas Klaipeda, NINERS Chemnitz, Panionios Athens, ratiopharm Ulm, Slask Wroclaw, Turk Telekom Ankara, U-BT Cluj-Napoca, Umana Reyer Venice, Veolia Towers Hamburg.

2025–26 Season Calendar

The Assembly of Syndicated Shareholders has officially approved the competitive calendar for the 2025–26 season. The EuroLeague and BKT EuroCup will tip off on September 30, 2025, with champions to be crowned on April 28 or May 1, 2026 for the EuroCup and on May 24, 2026 for the EuroLeague.

As part of the EuroLeague’s expansion to 20 teams, the Regular Season will increase from 34 to 38 rounds, offering fans even more high-level basketball throughout the year. The season will open with an action-packed double-Round week, setting the tone for what promises to be a thrilling campaign.

Additionally, games during November FIBA Qualifiers (windows) will be moved to Tuesday and Wednesday, in order to facilitate the availability of players to their National Teams.

Download the season calendar HERE.

2026 and 2027 Final Four

The Assembly reviewed the ongoing process for awarding hosting rights for the 2026 and 2027 EuroLeague Final Four editions. Discussions with candidate cities are progressing, with final decisions expected soon.

As part of the updated EuroLeague By-Laws, the Third-Place Game will be removed starting with the 2025–26 Final Four, which will now feature the two semifinals and the championship game.

Competitive Balance Standards (CBS) Updates

In preparation for the 20-team format, and to adapt the existing regulations to the expanded league ECA shareholders approved several enhancements to the Competitive Balance Standards, forming part of the broader Financial Stability and Fair Play framework. The CBS will be in force starting the 2025-26 season and will be progressively implemented, culminating in a full implementation by the 2027-28 season:

Key updates include:

Base Remuneration Level (BRL): Minimum set at €10 million net, up from €8 million net, applicable unless 40% of the Average Licensed Clubs Defined Revenues (ALCDR) falls above this threshold.

Anchor Player Exception: Clubs will now be permitted up to three designated anchor players under the BRL framework, increased from two.

Transitional Financial Compensation Cap: For the 2025–26 and 2026–27 seasons only, clubs exceeding the BRL will face a financial maximum compensation cap of 10% of their total net player remuneration for the relevant season.

Extended Tenure Player Exception: Deduction rate increased from 25% to 50%.

These changes aim to ensure financial sustainability, promote fair play, and maintain competitive balance as the EuroLeague continues its growth and evolution.

The existing regulations announced on September 16, 2024, prior to the approved enhancements, can be found HERE.

All decisions taken at the Assembly will be submitted to the ECA General Assembly for final approval on July 3, 2025.