In addition to the fixed places that some European NBA teams would have, there would be four left to fill. Andreas Zagklis, FIBA general secretary, wanted to point out how other teams will be able to get the opportunity to be part of this new competitionwhich will a priori have Barça and Madrid as two permanent venues.
“If you perform well in your domestic league, you will have the opportunity. It is a clear path for hundreds of clubs across Europe, and part of our job is to ensure that this hope exists and that it translates into investment in basketball, which is distributed among the hundreds of clubs that participate in the European national leagues“he commented.
The idea is to include the winner of the BCL Champions League and hold a new tournament at the end of each season with the 6 or 8 champions of the national leagues and the other teams that have had a good performance in the Champions League, except for the champion. In addition, he also set the start of the project in “October 2027.”
The NBA Europe sets a date
“October 2027 is a realistic goal. It is a collaboration, it will not be an NBA competition. It will be a competition directed largely by NBA specialists, but FIBA’s role is not limited to giving its approval to the competitions.. Its function is to operate. Although the name NBA is part of its nomenclature, this is not an NBA competition, it is a competition of the NBA and FIBA,” he acknowledged.
Zagklis also had some words for the 2026 Women’s World Cup. “We play in two pavilions and the smaller of the two has a capacity of 9,000 spectators. For the first time, ticket sales are further along than at any other FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in history. “I am very optimistic that we will have a Women’s World Cup like no other,” she highlighted.