Euroleague Basketball made some important announcements regarding the league’s future and its competitive and financial growth!

Europe’s premier basketball competition announced that the process of granting new franchise rights has officially begun, with the goal of increasing the number of teams to 24 by the 2027–28 season.

As noted, interest is already high, with more than 20 proposals submitted and the potential investments involved exceeding 1.2 billion euros!

The EuroLeague aims to grant eight new long-term participation licenses and increase the number of member clubs from eleven to 19.

Equally important is that, as part of the plan to expand the number of teams from 20 to 24, the EuroLeague has decided that the two finalists of the EuroCup Final will qualify.

The EuroLeague’s announcement in detail:

– The proposals submitted to date represent potential investments totaling more than 1.2 billion euros.

-The EuroLeague expects to award up to 8 new licenses for the 2027-28 season.

Euroleague Basketball has officially launched the licensing process, marking a significant milestone in the organization’s long-term strategic plan to strengthen and expand Europe’s premier club basketball league. The ECA General Assembly was briefed on the process following approval by the Board of Directors.

As previously announced, Euroleague Basketball is committed to expanding the league to 24 teams by the 2027–28 season. As part of this process, the organization intends to award up to eight long-term licenses for the 2027-28 season, while also securing two spots for clubs that qualify through the EuroCup and retaining the flexibility to grant “wild cards” where deemed appropriate.

The process has already generated tremendous interest even before it has officially begun, with more than 20 formal proposals meeting the specified valuation thresholds. The number of interested investors continues to grow every week. In total, the proposals received to date represent more than 1.2 billion euros in potential investments, an amount that is expected to continue to grow as the process moves forward.

In parallel with the franchise application process, Euroleague Basketball is moving forward with the conversion of the 13 existing shareholder licenses into long-term franchises, a process expected to be completed during the 2026–27 season.

The conversion of shareholders’ long-term licenses into franchise rights will take place without any franchise fee or entry fee, in recognition of their long-term commitment and contribution to the League.

Interest has been expressed by both existing EuroLeague and EuroCup clubs, as well as ambitious new ventures seeking to join the competition. Specifically, EuroLeague Basketball has received multiple proposals from investors and projects based in Rome, Berlin, and London, a fact that underscores the league’s growing appeal in some of Europe’s largest sports markets.

“Our strategic plan, which was approved by the Board of Directors when I joined the organization last February, continues to be successfully implemented, and we are extremely pleased with the progress we are making,” said Chus Bueno, CEO of Euroleague Basketball. “European basketball is going through an exceptional period. Investor interest continues to grow every week, which confirms the tremendous opportunity we have to accelerate the growth of our sport and our competition.”

FRANCHISE

RIGHTS AWARD PROCESS The application process for franchise rights officially begins in July, while the awarding of the first franchise rights is expected to begin in September and beyond. All new franchise rights will be subject to final approval by the Board of Directors and the signing of the respective franchise agreements.

The participation fee will be determined on a case-by-case basis, taking into account factors such as the strategic importance of the market, the club’s historical contribution to value creation within the League, whether the project is new or established, the size and loyalty of its fan base, as well as other relevant criteria.

All interested parties who have officially participated in the process have already received the official documentation, including the company’s strategic plan, which projects that both the value of the initial investment in the franchise and the franchise’s total valuation will double within three to four years.

Each candidate will have the opportunity to present their plan as part of the evaluation process. Euroleague Basketball is expected to announce the first selected clubs and strategic markets between September and November, subject to the successful completion of the evaluation and approval process.

Chus Bueno added: “Investors view Euroleague Basketball as a premier competition featuring the best clubs, the strongest brands, and the intellectual property of European basketball, combined with a participation model that is both realistic and attractive. We have a clear strategic plan that we believe can significantly increase the value of these investments over the next three to four years. Our goal is to create significant value for our franchise partners, while offering an extremely attractive and sustainable investment opportunity.”

*photo source: AP