Ayrton Oneill
EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. It is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, 16 of which play each other twice, once at home and once away, with a total of 30 games per team. The top 8 teams at the end of the regular season then advance to the playoffs. EuroLeague is one of the most popular indoor sports leagues in the world, with an average attendance of 8,780 for league matches in the 2017-18 season.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 16 or 20 |
| Number of games per team | 30 |
| Teams advancing to playoffs | Top 8 |
| Playoffs format | Four individual 5-game playoff series |
| Advancing to Final Four | Winners of the four playoff series |
| Final Four format | Two semifinals, a third-place game, and the championship game |
| Sponsorship | Turkish Airlines |
| Average attendance | 8,780 (2017-18 season) or 10,383 (2023-24 season) |
| Successful clubs | Real Madrid, CSKA Moscow, Fenerbahçe, Panathinaikos, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Anadolu Efes |
| Domestic leagues | Liga ACB (Spain), VTB United League (Russia), Israeli Premier League, ABA League (Serbia), Lithuanian League |
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What You'll Learn
EuroLeague structure
The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. It is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league is comprised of 20 teams, 16 of which are given long-term licences and wild cards, making the league a semi-closed league.
The league was first organised by FIBA in 1958, then by ULEB in 2000, and subsequently solely by Euroleague Basketball. The competition was introduced in 1958 as the FIBA European Champions Cup, which became the FIBA EuroLeague in 1996. It operated under FIBA until Euroleague Basketball was created for the 2000-01 season. The FIBA European Champions Cup and the EuroLeague are considered to be the same competition, with the change of name being simply a re-branding.
The EuroLeague operated under a tournament system from its inaugural 1958 season through the 2015-16 season. The champions of European national domestic leagues and the then-current European Champions Cup title holders (except for the 1986-87 season) would compete against each other in a tournament format.
The EuroLeague is one of the most popular indoor sports leagues in the world, with an average attendance of 10,383 for league matches in the 2023-24 season. It is the highest-attended league outside the United States and the second-highest of any professional basketball league globally, only behind the NBA.
Each of the 16 teams plays each other twice, once at home and once away, for a total of 30 games per team. The top 8 teams at the end of the regular season advance to the playoffs, which are held as four individual 5-game playoff series. The winners of each of these series advance to the Final Four, which consists of two semi-finals games, a third-place game, and the championship game.
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EuroLeague rules
The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. It is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league is currently sponsored by Turkish Airlines and is therefore officially known as the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
The league consists of 20 teams, 16 of which are given long-term licences and wild cards, making the EuroLeague a semi-closed league. Each team plays each other twice, once at home and once away, with a total of 30 games per team. The top 8 teams at the end of the regular season advance to the playoffs, which are held as four individual 5-game playoff series. The winners of each of these series then advance to the Final Four, which consists of two semi-final games, a third-place game, and the championship game.
The EuroLeague operated under a tournament system from its inaugural season in 1958 until the 2015-16 season. It was first organised by FIBA in 1958, then by ULEB in 2000, and since then solely by Euroleague Basketball. The competition was introduced as the FIBA European Champions Cup, which was renamed the FIBA EuroLeague in 1996. The EuroLeague and the FIBA EuroLeague are considered to be the same competition, with the change of name being simply a re-branding.
It is worth noting that in the EuroLeague, players can only take 2 steps with the ball, unlike in the NBA where players are allowed 4 steps. Taking more than 2 steps is called a travel violation.
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EuroLeague teams
The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. It is widely recognised as the top-tier and most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league is comprised of 20 teams, 16 of which are given long-term licences and wild cards, making the league semi-closed. The EuroLeague is one of the most popular indoor sports leagues in the world, with an average attendance of 8,780 for league matches in the 2017-18 season.
The 16 teams with long-term licences play each other twice, once at home and once away, with a total of 30 games per team. The top 8 teams at the end of the regular season advance to the playoffs, which are held as four individual 5-game playoff series. The winners of each of these series advance to the Final Four, which consists of two semi-final games, a third-place game, and the championship game.
Some notable teams in the EuroLeague include Real Madrid Baloncesto, who are the most successful club in the competition with 11 titles, and PBC CSKA Moscow, the second most successful club with 8 titles. Other clubs include FC Barcelona Bàsquet, the oldest Spanish club in the Liga ACB; Fenerbahçe Basketball, the only Turkish team to have won the EuroLeague; and ASVEL Basket, the only French club in the league.
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EuroLeague history
The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. It is widely recognised as the top-tier and most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league is composed of 20 teams, 16 of which are given long-term licences and wild cards, making the league semi-closed.
The EuroLeague was first organised by FIBA in 1958 as the FIBA European Champions Cup, which operated under FIBA's umbrella until the 2000-01 season. The competition was then taken over by Euroleague Basketball, with the FIBA European Champions Cup being renamed the FIBA EuroLeague in 1996. The EuroLeague operated under a tournament system from its inaugural 1958 season through the 2015-16 season. The FIBA European Champions Cup and the EuroLeague are considered to be the same competition, with the change of name being simply a re-branding.
In the 2000-01 season, there were two top European professional club basketball competitions: the FIBA SuproLeague (renamed from FIBA EuroLeague) and Euroleague. The top clubs were split between the two leagues, with Panathinaikos, Maccabi Tel Aviv, CSKA Moscow and Efes Pilsen staying with FIBA, while Olympiacos, Kinder Bologna, Real Madrid Teka, FC Barcelona, and others joined Euroleague Basketball. In May 2001, Europe had two continental champions: Maccabi of the FIBA SuproLeague and Kinder Bologna of the Euroleague. Both organisations then negotiated terms, resulting in a unified competition under Euroleague Basketball's umbrella.
Since July 2010, Euroleague has been sponsored by Turkish Airlines, with the competition being named the 'Turkish Airlines Euroleague Basketball'. The EuroLeague is one of the most popular indoor sports leagues in the world, with an average attendance of 8,780 for league matches in the 2017-18 season, and 10,383 in the 2023-24 season.
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EuroLeague sponsorship
Euroleague Basketball has had several sponsorship deals over the years. Since July 2010, Turkish Airlines has been the title sponsor of the league, which was renamed 'Turkish Airlines Euroleague Basketball' as part of the deal. The initial agreement was for five years and €15 million, with an option to extend for another five years, which was activated in October 2013. This extended the sponsorship deal until 2020.
In November 2015, Euroleague Basketball and IMG agreed on a 10-year joint venture worth €630 million guaranteed, with projected revenues reaching €900 million. The deal covers the commercial operation and management of global rights for media and marketing.
In 2025, Euroleague Basketball agreed on a new sponsorship deal with Dubai-based global multi-asset broker CFI Financial Group for the Final Four season, which took place in Abu Dhabi. CFI was designated as the official online trading partner and received brand visibility across broadcast, digital, and on-ground platforms.
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Frequently asked questions
The EuroLeague consists of 20 teams, 16 of which are given long-term licences and wild cards.
Each team plays 30 games in the regular season, playing each other team twice, once at home and once away.
The top 8 teams at the end of the regular season advance to the playoffs, which are held as four individual 5-game playoff series.
The winners of each of the four playoff series advance to the Final Four, which consists of two semifinal games, a third-place game, and the championship game.
The EuroLeague is one of the most popular indoor sports leagues in the world, with an average attendance of 8,780 for league matches in the 2017-18 season, increasing to 10,383 in the 2023-24 season.
