Euroleague Basketball has confirmed major structural updates for the 2025–26 season, including a 20-team format, new wildcards and financial reforms.
The Euroleague has confirmed a significant expansion to 20 clubs for the 2025–26 season, alongside the ratification of new financial regulations and long-term club commitments.
The decisions approved by the Assembly of Syndicated Shareholders of Euroleague Commercial Assets (ECA) on June 19, come at a time of mounting uncertainty over the future landscape of European basketball, with the NBA pressing ahead with its own ambitions on the continent.
In what is being interpreted by some observers as a strategic counterweight to North American incursion, Euroleague Basketball has not only confirmed its full roster of participating clubs for both the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and BKT EuroCup, but also rolled out structural changes aimed at deepening club stability, commercial growth and competitive balance.
Wildcards and widening footprints
Among the more notable developments was the formal awarding of long-term wildcards, including a five-year allocation to Dubai Basketball; a clear signal of the league’s intent to expand its commercial and geographical footprint. Three-year wildcards were also confirmed for Crvena Zvezda, Partizan, Virtus Bologna and Valencia, offering mid-term certainty in an increasingly competitive sports marketplace.
AS Monaco and Hapoel Tel Aviv secured EuroLeague berths through EuroCup qualification pathways, while conversations with Paris Basketball around a potential longer-term collaboration are ongoing.
These moves coincide with the NBA’s open declaration of interest in establishing a 12 to 16-team European league, potentially comprising both new franchises and teams drawn from existing sports properties.
Euroleague’s efforts to lock in key clubs for multiple seasons, and to bring new markets like Dubai and potentially Paris into its long-term ecosystem, may be viewed as both expansionary and defensive, particularly in light of NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum and SVP George Aivazoglou’s repeated references to a “value gap” in European basketball.
Raising the financial floor
A parallel objective in this latest round of decisions is the enhancement of the league’s financial stability and governance framework. Revisions to the Competitive Balance Standards (CBS) include an increase to the Base Remuneration Level (BRL), now set at €10 million net, up from €8 million, with the threshold tied to the revenues of the league’s licensed clubs.
The anchor player exception has been expanded from two to three athletes per club, and a transitional compensation cap has been introduced for the next two seasons. Notably, the deduction rate for extended tenure players has been doubled from 25% to 50%.
These changes form part of a wider attempt to introduce fair play and sustainability mechanisms more closely aligned with investor expectations. While structurally distinct from the NBA’s salary cap model, Euroleague’s evolving CBS system reflects a growing need to articulate value, predictability and governance standards in an increasingly competitive global sports investment environment.
Calendar adjustments and format evolution
The 2025–26 EuroLeague season will open with a double-round week on September 30, and run through to a Final Four scheduled for May 24, 2026. The regular season will increase from 34 to 38 rounds, with adjustments made to avoid scheduling clashes during November’s FIBA international windows.
In another nod to shifting broadcast and commercial sensibilities, the third-place game will be removed from the Final Four starting this season, leaving only the semi-finals and championship match.
The decision aligns with recent trends in elite sports event packaging, where content duration, audience retention and title clarity are becoming increasingly important to rights holders and sponsors
Competing visions for European basketball
While Euroleague continues to project growth and structural reform, it does so amid renewed pressure from across the Atlantic. The NBA’s proposed European league – being explored in partnership with FIBA – includes provisions for promotion and relegation, as well as the inclusion of football clubs and multi-sport brands as potential franchise partners.
Aivazoglou recently pointed to the significant gap between basketball’s popularity in Europe and its commercial output, citing figures that place the sport at under 1%of the continent’s total commercial sports revenue.
By contrast, Euroleague has long asserted the strength of its heritage and competitive integrity, and has characterised the NBA’s plans as a threat to Europe’s existing club basketball traditions.
Whether Euroleague’s expansion to 20 teams and the introduction of more formalised club commitments will be enough to consolidate its leading role in European basketball remains to be seen. But in securing commercial consistency, opening up new markets, and codifying its regulatory framework, it is clearly preparing for a period of heightened competition.
