2025–26 Basketball Champions League

Basketball Champions League
Season2025–26
DatesQualifying:
23–28 September 2025
Competition proper:
7 October 2025 – 10 May 2026
TeamsCompetition proper: 32
Total: 53 (from 30 countries)
2026–27 →

The 2025–26 Basketball Champions League will be the 10th season of the Basketball Champions League (BCL), a European professional basketball competition for clubs launched by FIBA.

Unicaja are the defending champions.[1]

Team allocation

A total of 53 teams from 30 of the 50 FIBA Europe member associations are set to participate in the 2025–26 Basketball Champions League.[2] The country ranking based on the country coefficients is used to determine the number of participating teams for each country:[3]

  • All countries, if they entered, each have at least one team qualify.
  • The winners of the 2024–25 Basketball Champions League are given an additional entry if they do not qualify for the 2025–26 Basketball Champions League through their domestic league.[4]
  • The organiser may grant access to the League through the attribution of up to 4 invitations (wild cards) to the Regular Season or to the Qualification Rounds.[4]
  • If one or more clubs do not use their right to participate in the Basketball Champions League, the organiser may decide to allocate the respective place(s) to other clubs of the same or other country.[4]

Country ranking

.It takes into account their performance from 2022–23 to 2024–25.[5]

Country ranking for 2025–26 Basketball Champions League
Rank Country Coeff. Teams
1  Spain 97.70 4+1
2  Turkey 65.95 3+1
3  France 65.58 2+1
4  Israel 65.33 2+0
5  Greece 65.00 3+1
6  Germany 54.75 3+1
7  Czech Republic 49.50 1+0
8  Italy 43.92 2+1
9  Lithuania 38.00 1+1
10  Hungary 36.00 1+1
11  Portugal 34.00 1+1
12  Belgium 33.50 1+1
13  Bosnia and Herzegovina 31.00 1+0
14  Latvia 27.00 1+0
15  Poland 21.00 1+1
16  Serbia 9.50 1+0
17  Denmark 9.00 0+1
Rank Country Coeff. Teams
18  Slovakia 7.00 0+1
19  Switzerland 7.00 0+1
20  Estonia 6.00 0+1
21  Netherlands 5.00 0+1
22  Romania 5.00 0+1
23  Sweden 5.00 0+0
24  Cyprus 4.00 0+1
25  Finland 4.00 0+1
26  Kosovo 4.00 0+1
27  Great Britain 3.00 0+0
28  Austria 2.00 0+0
29  Ukraine 2.00 0+0
30  Georgia 2.00 0+1
31  Bulgaria 2.00 0+1
32  North Macedonia 1.00 0+1
33  Montenegro 1.00 0+1
34  Azerbaijan 1.00 1+0

Teams

The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:

  • TH: Title holders
  • 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.: League positions of the previous season
Qualified teams for 2025–26 Basketball Champions League (by entry round)[2]
Regular season
Spain La Laguna Tenerife (3rd) Greece Promitheas Vikos Cola (4th) Israel Bnei Penlink Herzliya (5th) Latvia VEF Rīga (1st)
Spain Unicaja (4th)TH Greece Karditsa Iaponiki (5th) Italy Trapani Shark (3rd) Lithuania Rytas (2nd)
Spain Joventut Badalona (6th) Turkey Tofaş (5th) Italy Pallacanestro Trieste (6th) Poland Legia Warszawa (1st)
Spain Dreamland Gran Canaria (7th) Turkey Mersin (6th) Azerbaijan Sabah (1st) Portugal Benfica (1st)
Germany MLP Academics Heidelberg (3rd) Turkey Galatasaray (7th) Belgium Filou Oostende (1st) Serbia Spartak Office Shoes (2nd)
Germany FIT/One Würzburg (4th) France Cholet (5th) Bosnia and Herzegovina Igokea m:tel (1st)
Germany Alba Berlin (7th)[Note GER] France Le Mans (6th) Czech Republic ERA Nymburk (1st)
Greece AEK Betsson (3rd) Israel Hapoel Netanel Holon (4th) Hungary NHSZ-Szolnoki Olajbányász (1st)
Qualifying rounds
Belgium Windrose Giants Antwerp (6th) France Élan Chalon (7th) Kosovo Trepça (1st) Portugal Porto (2nd)
Bulgaria Rilski Sportist (1st) Georgia (country) Kutaisi 2010 (1st) Lithuania Juventus (6th) Romania CSM CSU Oradea (2nd)
Cyprus Petrolina AEK Larnaca (1st) Germany Löwen Braunschweig (5th) Montenegro SC Derby (2nd) Slovakia Patrioti Levice (1st)
Denmark Bakken Bears (1st) Greece PAOK mateco (6th) Netherlands Heroes Den Bosch (1st) Spain UCAM Murcia (9th)
Estonia Kalev/Cramo (1st) Hungary Falco Szombathely (2nd) North Macedonia Pelister (6th) Switzerland Fribourg Olympic (2nd)
Finland Karhu Kauhajoki (2nd) Italy Pallacanestro Reggiana (7th) Poland Start Lublin (2nd) Turkey Bursaspor (10th)
Notes
  1. ^
    Germany (GER): Alba Berlin got a wild card.[6]

Round and draw dates

The schedule of the competition will be as follows.[7][8]

Schedule for 2025–26 Basketball Champions League
Phase Round Draw date First leg Second leg Third leg
Qualifying rounds 2 July 2025 23–28 September 2025
Regular season Round 1 7–8 October 2025
Round 2 14–15 October 2025
Round 3 21–22 October 2025
28–29 October 2025
Round 4 4–5 November 2025
11–12 November 2025
Round 5 18–19 November 2025
9–10 December 2025
Round 6 16–17 December 2025
Play-ins 6 January 2026 8 January 2026 13–14 January 2026
Round of 16 Round 1 20–21 January 2026
Round 2 27–28 January 2026
Round 3 3–4 February 2026
Round 4 10–11 February 2026
Round 5 10–11 March 2026
Round 6 17–18 March 2026
Play-offs Quarter-finals 20 March 2026 31 March–1 April 2026 7–8 April 2026 14–15 April 2026
Final Four Semi-finals 8 May 2026
Final 10 May 2026

Qualifying rounds

The 24 teams will face in three qualifying round tournaments, one of which belong to the Champions Path, which contains the domestic league champions, and the other two to the League Path, which contains the rest of the teams that vie for qualify to the regular season. In each path, teams will be seeded ordered by the club ranking and by the country ranking for clubs that have not yet participated in the competition. The three winners of the finals will then qualify for the regular season and will join the 29 directly qualified teams in the main draw. The rest of the teams will qualify, if they apply, to the FIBA Europe Cup.

Draw

The draw for the qualifying rounds was held on 2 July 2025 at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.[9]

Champions path

Pot 1
Team Pts
Denmark Bakken Bears 9
Slovakia Patrioti Levice 7
Pot 2
Team Pts
Netherlands Heroes Den Bosch 5
Estonia Kalev/Cramo 5
Pot 3
Team Pts
Kosovo Trepça 2
Bulgaria Rilski Sportist 2
Pot 4
Team Pts
Georgia (country) Kutaisi 2010 1
Cyprus Petrolina AEK Larnaca 1

League path

Pot 1
Team Pts
Spain UCAM Murcia 111
Hungary Falco Szombathely 41
Italy Pallacanestro Reggiana 39
Greece PAOK mateco 35
Pot 2
Team Pts
Turkey Bursaspor 14
Switzerland Fribourg Olympic 7
Finland Karhu Kauhajoki 3
Romania CSM CSU Oradea 3
Pot 3
Team Pts
Lithuania Juventus 2
Belgium Windrose Giants Antwerp 2
France Élan Chalon 65.58†
Germany Löwen Braunschweig 54.75†
Pot 4
Team Pts
Portugal Porto 34.00†
Poland Start Lublin 21.00†
North Macedonia Pelister 1.00†
Montenegro SC Derby 1.00†

Tournament 1

The tournament 1 will be played on September 23–28, 2025.

 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
 
 
 
 Slovakia Patrioti Levice
 
 
 
 Cyprus Petrolina AEK Larnaca
 
 
 
 
 
 Estonia Kalev/Cramo
 
 
 
 Bulgaria Rilski Sportist
 
 
 
 
 
 Denmark Bakken Bears
 
 
 
 Georgia (country) Kutaisi 2010
 
 
 
 
 
 Netherlands Heroes Den Bosch
 
 
 Kosovo Trepça
 

Source: FIBA

Tournament 2

The tournament 2 will be played on September 23–28, 2025.

 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
 
 
 
 Greece PAOK mateco
 
 
 
 Montenegro SC Derby
 
 
 
 
 
 Turkey Bursaspor
 
 
 
 Germany Löwen Braunschweig
 
 
 
 
 
 Italy Pallacanestro Reggiana
 
 
 
 North Macedonia Pelister
 
 
 
 
 
 Romania CSM CSU Oradea
 
 
 Belgium Windrose Giants Antwerp
 

Source: FIBA

Tournament 3

The tournament 3 will be played on September 23–28, 2025.

 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
 
 
 
 Spain UCAM Murcia
 
 
 
 Poland Start Lublin
 
 
 
 
 
 Finland Karhu Kauhajoki
 
 
 
 Lithuania Juventus
 
 
 
 
 
 Hungary Falco Szombathely
 
 
 
 Portugal Porto
 
 
 
 
 
 Switzerland Fribourg Olympic
 
 
 France Élan Chalon
 

Source: FIBA

Regular season

Main article: 2025–26 Basketball Champions League regular season

The regular season will be played by 32 teams divided into eight groups of four in which 29 teams receive direct spots plus the three qualifying round tournaments winners. The regular season will begin on 7 October and will conclude on 17 December 2025. In each group, teams will play against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format where the eight group winners from each regular season group will qualify directly to the round of 16. Moreover, the second-placed and third-placed will qualify to the play-ins, where the series winners will qualify for the round of 16, while the remanining last-placed teams will be eliminated after the regular season.

A minimum of 18 countries will be represented in the regular season which will involve up to nine domestic league champions. Continental powerhouses like Alba Berlin, Joventut Badalona and Dreamland Gran Canaria will join the league after their previous stage in Euroleague Basketball competitions,[10][11][12] others like Karditsa Iaponiki, Mersin, MLP Academics Heidelberg and Trapani Shark will make their debut appearance in international competitions.

Group A

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification VIL PRO WAR HDB
1 Lithuania Rytas 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to round of 16 —
2 Greece Promitheas Vikos Cola 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to play-ins —
3 Poland Legia Warszawa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
4 Germany MLP Academics Heidelberg 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
First match(es) will be played: October 7, 2025. Source: FIBA

Group B

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification ALB NYM SAB QR3
1 Germany Alba Berlin 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to round of 16 —
2 Czech Republic ERA Nymburk 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to play-ins —
3 Azerbaijan Sabah 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
4 Winner QR3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
First match(es) will be played: October 7, 2025. Source: FIBA

Group C

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification CJB HOL CHO QR2
1 Spain Joventut Badalona 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to round of 16 —
2 Israel Hapoel Netanel Holon 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to play-ins —
3 France Cholet 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
4 Winner QR2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
First match(es) will be played: October 7, 2025. Source: FIBA

Group D

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification LLT TOF HER TPS
1 Spain La Laguna Tenerife 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to round of 16 —
2 Turkey Tofaş 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to play-ins —
3 Israel Bnei Penlink Herzliya 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
4 Italy Trapani Shark 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
First match(es) will be played: October 7, 2025. Source: FIBA

Group E

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification GSM IGO WUE TS
1 Turkey Galatasaray MCT Technic 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to round of 16 —
2 Bosnia and Herzegovina Igokea m:tel 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to play-ins —
3 Germany FIT/One Würzburg 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
4 Italy Pallacanestro Trieste 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
First match(es) will be played: October 7, 2025. Source: FIBA

Group F

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification AEK VEF OLA QR1
1 Greece AEK Betsson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to round of 16 —
2 Latvia VEF Rīga 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to play-ins —
3 Hungary NHSZ-Szolnoki Olajbányász 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
4 Winner QR1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
First match(es) will be played: October 7, 2025. Source: FIBA

Group G

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification UNI OOS MSK KAR
1 Spain Unicaja 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to round of 16 —
2 Belgium Filou Oostende 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to play-ins —
3 Turkey Mersin 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
4 Greece Karditsa Iaponiki 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
First match(es) will be played: October 7, 2025. Source: FIBA

Group H

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification DGC SLB MSB SPA
1 Spain Dreamland Gran Canaria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to round of 16 —
2 Portugal Benfica 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to play-ins —
3 France Le Mans 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
4 Serbia Spartak Office Shoes 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
First match(es) will be played: October 7, 2025. Source: FIBA

References

  1. ^ "Final Four MVP Carter leads Unicaja to back-to-back BCL titles". www.fiba.basketball. 11 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Basketball Champions League Season 10 lineup announced". www.championsleague.basketball. 17 June 2025. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  3. ^ "Basketball Champions League Presentation - Access List Principles". www.championsleague.basketball. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Competition Regulations 2024-25 (PDF). FIBA. 31 May 2024. p. 5. Retrieved 19 June 2024. The Organiser may grant access to the BCL through the attribution of up to four (4) invitations to the Regular Season or to the Qualification Rounds.
  5. ^ "Country coefficients 2024–25". bcl-access-list.fiba.webpont.com. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  6. ^ "ALBA BERLIN to compete in the Basketball Champions League in 2025-26". www.fiba.basketball. 7 May 2025. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  7. ^ "Competition System - Basketball Champions League | FIBA Basketball". www.championsleague.basketball. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  8. ^ "2025-26 Regulations" (PDF). assets.fiba.basketball. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  9. ^ "All you need to know ahead of BCL Season X draw". www.championsleague.basketball. 30 June 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  10. ^ Sim, Josh (8 May 2025). "Alba Berlin swap EuroLeague for Fiba's BCL as NBA Europe looms". SportsPro. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  11. ^ "Joventut Badalona reportedly considers joining FIBA Basketball Champions League". basketnews.com. 12 May 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  12. ^ "Gran Canaria officially joins BCL". basketnews.com. 13 June 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
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