Season canceled in Eurocup

The Euroleague Commercial Assets Shareholders Executive Board met remotely on Monday, May 25, has made the decision to cancel the 2019-20 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup, as well as the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament and EuroLeague Academy due to the considerations such as the health and safety of the athletes, fans, staff... as a top priority; the varied evolution of COVID-19 in different EuroLeague and EuroCup territories or the differing restriction by the local authorities on the movements of their citizens, with no guarantees that all teams can travel to and from the designated location.

In keeping with our continued values of sports integrity and fairness, the Executive Board decided not to recognize any team as the champion for the 2019-20 EuroLeague, nor the EuroCup.Additionally, the Executive Board agreed on the following with regards to the 2020-21 season:

- The 2020-21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season will count upon the participation of the same 18 teams.

- The 2020-21 7DAYS EuroCup season will reserve guaranteed spots for the eight teams that qualified for the 2019-20 quarterfinals, namely: AS Monaco, Partizan NIS Belgrade, Promitheas Patras, Segafredo Virtus Bologna, Tofas Bursa, Umana Reyer Venezia, Unicaja Malaga and UNICS Kazan. The remaining 16 spots will be awarded to teams qualifying through their domestic leagues’ final standings. 


Statement from Euroleague Basketball President & CEO Jordi Bertomeu:

"Without a doubt, this is the most difficult decision we have had to take in our 20-year history. Due to reasons beyond our control, we have been forced to cut short the most successful and exciting season in European basketball history. This comes after two and a half months in which all the league's stakeholders maintained their determination and exhausted every possible avenue in trying to deliver a complete and uniquely special season to our fans, whose passion is the driving force for all our efforts. That is our commitment and our passion every single season, and so falling short due to forces beyond anyone's control is what saddens us most. Nonetheless, record-breaking data showing how much our fans enjoyed the games to date gives us more energy than ever to start planning for an even better 2020-21 season.

I am especially proud of how the EuroLeague and EuroCup communities have remained united in incredibly tough times. Proud of our clubs and their ownership for the courage in their decisions and for their generous contributions to their communities in such difficult times. Proud of our commercial partners, who have shown their continued commitment to and belief in our brand and what it represents. Proud of our players, coaches and referees who have been supportive and understanding throughout. Proud of our fans, who have remained close to us and have constantly expressed how much they wanted the competitions to come back. This is an extraordinary community, and we are privileged to be a part of it.

Obviously, we had many motivations to resume the 2019-20 season, but in such an exceptional situation, we have to put people’s health first and ahead of any other interest: our players, our coaches, our referees, our clubs, their staff, our league staff, our broadcasters, and all of their families. By doing so, we stay true to our beliefs and what we stand for.

In the coming months we only have one mission: to do everything in our power to help our communities come back stronger, and to build the best version of ourselves – on and off the court – for when we can be reunited with the fans. This is not an end, but rather a new beginning.”