EuroLeague has postponed announcing its new franchises despite reaffirming plans to expand the competition to 24 teams beginning with the 2027–28 season.
During their recent meeting in Como, shareholders agreed to continue the expansion process but decided against immediately selecting the organizations that would receive the eight available franchise positions.
The competition now has 14 candidates following the submission of a binding offer from Luka Doncic-led BC Roma SPQR.
The applicants include Crvena Zvezda, Dubai, Hapoel Tel Aviv, London Lions, Napoli Basket, PAOK, Paris Basketball, Partizan, Valencia, Virtus Bologna, Hapoel Jerusalem and Aris.
Two separate projects from the Italian capital, BC Roma SPQR and Roma Maxima, are also competing for admission.
As part of the proposed restructuring, EuroLeague intends to convert the existing 10-year licenses held by its 13 EuroLeague Commercial Assets (ECA) shareholders into franchise agreements.
The eight additional franchises would join those established shareholders as EuroLeague works toward its expanded competition format.
Club owners have assigned the Board of Directors responsibility for evaluating the applications and identifying the candidates best suited to receive the new positions.
A final recommendation is expected to be presented to shareholders in the coming weeks, although no specific announcement date has been confirmed.
The delay means all 14 applicants must continue waiting for a decision on their potential inclusion in EuroLeague’s future structure.
