Basketball Champions League Season 11 lineup announced
The Basketball Champions League Board ratified on Thursday the list of 30 clubs with a direct berth in the 2026-27 BCL Regular Season, powered by Ameresco SUNEL, as well as the 24 clubs that will compete in the Qualification Round tournaments for the remaining two tickets to the 32-team Regular Season.
A total of 61 clubs applied for the Basketball Champions League, powered by Ameresco SUNEL by the deadline on June 19.
The complete lineup for Season 11 features 16 national league champions, nine of which are in the Regular Season: ALBA BERLIN (Germany), Spartak Office Shoes (Serbia), ERA Nymburk (Czechia), Cibona (Croatia), Windrose Giants Antwerp (Belgium), Falco KC Szombathely (Hungary), FC Porto (Portugal), Legia Warszawa (Poland), and Sabah BC (Azerbaijan).
Out of the 30 teams entering the Regular Season directly, three are newcomers to the BCL: BK KVIS Pardubice, Trabzonspor and FC Porto.
Following successful domestic campaigns, former champions Telekom Baskets Bonn are making their return to the BCL, with former Final Four contenders BMA365 Bamberg Baskets, Peristeri betsson, SIG Strasbourg, UCAM Murcia and Windrose Giants Antwerp also back in the Regular Season draw.
Other notable returnees to the BCL include the Croatian champions, Cibona, back after participating in the competition in Season 1, same as the Italian powerhouse Pallacanestro Varese, while Lithuanian League finalists Juventus Utena played in Seasons 1 and 2.
Back-to-back FIBA Europe Cup champions Surne Bilbao also made the Regular Season, having last participated in the BCL in 2022-23.
When the new season of the BCL tips off, AEK BC will become the only club to have participated in each of the 11 editions of the competition.
Below are the first 30 teams in the Regular Season lineup (two more teams will emerge from the Qualification Round tournaments). National champions are marked with an asterisk:
Rytas Vilnius (LTU, defending BCL champions); Asisa Joventut (ESP); UCAM Murcia (ESP); Surne Bilbao (ESP); Unicaja (ESP); ALBA BERLIN* (GER); BMA365 Bamberg Baskets (GER); Telekom Baskets Bonn (GER); Juventus Utena (LTU); Nanterre 92 (FRA); Cholet Basket (FRA); SIG Strasbourg (FRA); AEK BC (GRE); Peristeri Betsson (GRE); Trabzonspor (TUR); Galatasaray MCT Technic (TUR); ERA Nymburk* (CZE); BK KVIS Pardubice (CZE); Spartak Office Shoes* (SRB); Cibona* (CRO); Legia Warszawa* (POL); Pallacanestro Reggiana (ITA); Pallacanestro Varese (ITA); Igokea m:tel (BIH); Bnei Penlink Herzliya (ISR); Hapoel Holon (ISR); Sabah BC* (AZE); Falco KC Szombathely* (HUN); Windrose Giants Antwerp* (BEL); and FC Porto* (POR).
A further seven champions are placed in the Qualification Rounds, ranging from Denmark (Bakken Bears) to Cyprus (Petrolina AEK Larnaca).
The 24 clubs that will compete in the Qualification Round will be drawn into two tournaments, with the winner of each tournament advancing to the Regular Season.
The Qualification Round tournaments will take place from September 14 to 20, while the Regular Season will get underway on October 6, 2026.
The draw ceremony for the Regular Season groups and the Qualification Round tournaments will take place at the Patrick Baumann House of Basketball in Mies, Switzerland on Wednesday, July 8, and will be livestreamed on the official BCL YouTube channel.