EuroCup 2026-27 Season Guide: Everything You Need to Know
The 2026-27 BKT EuroCup is set to bring another season of European club basketball, with a significantly expanded competition, new teams and a revised format.
For basketball fans across the UK, the campaign offers plenty to follow, including the London Lions’ return to European action and a regular season featuring clubs from 16 countries and territories.
This season is particularly notable because the EuroCup has expanded from 20 teams to 32. The regular season will feature four groups of eight, with each team playing 14 games.
The top four teams in each group will advance to the postseason, where every round from the Round of 16 through to the final will be played as a best-of-three series. This guide covers the key facts, dates, teams and format changes you need to know ahead of the 2026-27 season.
What Is EuroCup Basketball?
The BKT EuroCup is a major European men’s club basketball competition organised by Euroleague Basketball. It sits below the EuroLeague in the organisation’s competition structure and brings together clubs from across the continent.
The competition provides established clubs and ambitious teams with regular European competition against opponents from different domestic leagues. It also offers a route towards the EuroLeague: traditionally, winning the EuroCup has provided access to the following season’s EuroLeague, although individual participation arrangements can depend on the applicable competition rules and club licensing structure.
The 2026-27 edition represents a substantial change in scale. The field has increased from 20 to 32 teams, with clubs representing 16 different countries and territories. The expanded competition has also introduced a new regular-season and playoff format designed to accommodate the larger field.
British interest centres on the London Lions, who have secured a multi-year place in the competition. The Lions previously became the first British team to reach the EuroCup semi-finals, doing so in the 2023-24 season. They return for their fourth EuroCup campaign in 2026-27.
When Does The EuroCup 2026-27 Start?
The 2026-27 BKT EuroCup officially begins on Tuesday, 29 September 2026, with the opening round of the regular season. Some opening-round games are scheduled for Wednesday, 30 September.
The regular season will run until 13 January 2027. Across the four groups, 32 teams will play a total of 224 regular-season games. Each club will play 14 games, facing every other team in its group twice, once at home and once away.
The postseason then begins in February, with the Round of 16 scheduled for early February. The quarter-finals follow in March, the semi-finals run from the end of March into early April, and the final series is scheduled for 21, 27 and, if necessary, 30 April 2027.
The London Lions begin their campaign away to Šiauliai Basketball on 30 September before hosting La Laguna Tenerife on 6 October. Their Group B schedule also includes meetings with Türk Telekom Ankara, U-BT Cluj-Napoca, Umana Reyer Venice, Maxima Roma and Skyliners Frankfurt.
How Are The EuroCup Teams Selected?
Participation in the EuroCup is determined by Euroleague Basketball through domestic-league performance, long-term competition licences and wildcard or one-season participation arrangements.
For 2026-27, Euroleague Basketball has moved towards a longer-term licensing structure. Twenty-two clubs were initially granted five-year licences, while other places were allocated through one-year participation agreements and the wildcard process. The final 32-team field was approved by the ECA Board and subsequently confirmed by the competition’s governing structures.
The system is therefore more complicated than simply taking clubs that narrowly missed out on the EuroLeague. Domestic league performance remains important, but clubs can also hold multi-year EuroCup licences or gain entry through other approved participation arrangements.
The 2026-27 field includes clubs from major European basketball markets such as France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Turkey, alongside teams from a wide range of other countries. Italy has the largest representation, with five clubs in the competition, while Germany and Turkey each have four.
Who Is Playing In The EuroCup 2026-27?
The 2026-27 field consists of 32 teams divided into four groups of eight. The groups were confirmed following the draw in Barcelona in July. The EuroCup groups are as follows:
Group A
- Le Mans Sarthe Basket
- Hapoel Midtown Jerusalem
- Recoletas Salud Burgos
- Cedevita Olimpija
- Baglietto Derthona
- Aris
- Rostock Seawolves
- Rigas Zelli
Group B
- Türk Telekom
- U-BT Cluj-Napoca
- La Laguna Tenerife
- Umana Reyer Venezia
- Maxima Roma
- Å iauliai
- London Lions
- Skyliners Frankfurt
Group C
- Cosea JL Bourg
- TofaÅŸ
- Budućnost VOLI
- Dolomiti Energia Trento
- Napoli Basket
- Neptūnas
- Niners Chemnitz
- Śląsk Wrocław
Group D
- Bosna BH Telecom
- Bahçeşehir Koleji
- Kids&Us Manresa
- ratiopharm Ulm
- Roma
- Lietkabelis
- PAOK
- Balkan Botevgrad
For British supporters, the main focus will naturally be on the London Lions. Their Group B campaign includes 14 regular-season fixtures against seven different opponents, with seven games at home and seven away.
Who Won The EuroCup Playoffs 2026?
Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse won the 2025-26 BKT EuroCup, beating BeÅŸiktaÅŸ GAÄ°N Istanbul 2-0 in the best-of-three final series.
Bourg won the opening game 72-60 in Istanbul on 22 April 2026 before completing the series with a 73-71 victory at home on 28 April. The decisive second game was settled in the final seconds, with Adam Mokoka scoring the winning basket. He was subsequently named EuroCup Finals MVP.
The championship was the first major European title in JL Bourg’s history. The club initially earned access to the 2026-27 EuroLeague as EuroCup champion but later decided not to make the move and instead continue competing in the EuroCup. Bourg therefore remains part of the 2026-27 EuroCup field.
That makes Bourg one of the notable teams to watch as the new campaign begins, particularly because the club enters the expanded competition as the reigning champion.
How Many Games In a EuroCup Season?
The 2026-27 EuroCup format is different from the 20-team structure used in recent seasons.
The 32 teams are divided into four groups of eight. Each team plays every other club in its group twice, once at home and once away. That gives every team 14 regular-season games. Across the competition, the regular season consists of 224 games.
The top four teams in each group qualify for the postseason, creating a 16-team playoff field.
The knockout stages are:
- Round of 16: best-of-three series
- Quarter-finals: best-of-three series
- Semi-finals: best-of-three series
- Final: best-of-three series
Unlike some previous EuroCup formats, there are no single-game knockout rounds in the 2026-27 postseason. Every playoff series is scheduled as a best-of-three, meaning the first team to win two games progresses.
A team that reaches the final and plays every possible game could therefore play 14 regular-season matches plus as many as nine playoff games, giving a maximum of 23 EuroCup fixtures. That total assumes three games are required in every playoff series.
How Long Is a EuroCup Basketball Game?
A standard EuroCup basketball game consists of four 10-minute quarters, giving 40 minutes of regulation playing time. If the scores are level after regulation, five-minute overtime periods are played until a winner is determined.
When Does The EuroCup End?
The 2026-27 regular season begins on 29 September 2026 and concludes on 13 January 2027. The Round of 16 is scheduled for February, followed by the quarter-finals in March and the semi-finals from late March into April.
The EuroCup Finals are scheduled for 21 April and 27 April 2027, with a third game on 30 April if required. The competition can therefore run through the end of April.
The new best-of-three format means teams must plan for potentially longer playoff series than under previous single-game knockout arrangements. Travel, squad rotation and home-court advantage will all become important considerations as the competition reaches its decisive stages.
Who Are The Favourites To Win The EuroCup 2026-27?
The reigning champions Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse enter the campaign with the distinction of having won the previous edition.
Other established clubs in the field include Türk Telekom, Umana Reyer Venezia, Cedevita Olimpija, Budućnost VOLI, ratiopharm Ulm, Hapoel Midtown Jerusalem and Dolomiti Energia Trento.
The London Lions also have a strong European storyline to follow after reaching the semi-finals in 2023-24 and returning to the competition for a fourth campaign. Their Group B opponents include several clubs with substantial European experience, making the regular season an important test.
Bet on The EuroCup at Bet442
At Bet442, basketball fans can follow the BKT EuroCup alongside a range of other sporting competitions and betting markets.
The 2026-27 EuroCup offers plenty of fixtures to follow, from the opening regular-season games in September through to the final series in April.
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