The EuroLeague have announced Experience Abu Dhabi and Etihad Airways will be joining its sponsor roster ahead of the 2025/26 season.
Experience Abu Dhabi, the destination brand of The Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) Abu Dhabi, will be the EuroLeague’s Main Partner, while Etihad Airways will become the league’s Presenting Partner for the Final Four on May 22-24, 2026.
Each contract lasts the length of the next four seasons, starting with the 2025/26 season which begins on September 30. Experience Abu Dhabi and Etihad Airways branding will also feature across EuroLeague and BKT EuroCup games, including in-arena signage, live broadcasts and on team jerseys which will alternate from team-to-team over the next four seasons.
Both sponsors will also receive digital exposure across EuroLeague’s digital and social media channels. This will also extend to EuroLeague’s fan creation content platform.
“Euroleague represents the pinnacle of European basketball, and we’re excited to support this incredible sporting spectacle alongside our valued partner DCT Abu Dhabi,” said Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer at Etihad Airways.
“Through our network, we bring people to Abu Dhabi from across the globe, and this partnership allows us to reach new audiences who share our belief that the best experiences happen when you venture beyond borders.”
This is not the first time the UAE and Etihad Airways have been involved with EuroLeague. The Emirati airline sponsored the Final Four last year, held in Abu Dhabi in May 2025.
“The impact of sport extends far beyond the court; it drives economic growth by boosting tourism, attracting investment, and enhancing infrastructure for major events,” said H.E. Saood Abdulaziz Al Hosani, Undersecretary of DCT Abu Dhabi.
“This partnership stands as a key pillar of our Tourism Strategy 2030 – driving visitor growth, supporting economic diversification, and solidifying Abu Dhabi’s status as a preferred global destination for tourism, culture, and sport.”
A strengthened UAE presence
The 2025/26 season of the EuroLeague will be the first to run 20 teams. The expanded league will also feature a team from Dubai – Dubai Basketball – for the first time.
Dubai Media have also announced a new broadcast rights agreement to broadcast EuroLeague across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region for the next five seasons. Games will be shown on Dubai Sports TV and will be free-to-air.
The end of the EuroLeague’s 15-year title partnership with Turkish Airlines last summer, and the new expanded league suggests EuroLeague is heading in a new commercial and structural direction.
Needed change amid NBA Europe league?
The timing of this shift coincides with the NBA edging closer to announcing its European basketball league. For the past year, the NBA has been actively holding discussions with political figures and sporting stakeholders from across Europe on building grassroots infrastructure to support basketball growth.
On September 17, the NBA and the UK government announced a $13.5m investment into supporting basketball facilities across the country to support greater adoption. The NBA will also hold regular season games in London and Manchester in January 2026 and 2027 respectively.
London and Manchester have also been reportedly been earmarked as markets for an NBA Europe franchise, as well as Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, Milan, Athens, and Istanbul.
While Adam Silver revealed on September 16 that a 2027/2028 launch date for NBA Europe is “ambitious” with formalities still to be agreed with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), he is keen to progress, admitting “I don’t think I’d want to go much longer than 2028” for launch.
