EuroLeague rejects NBA offer and confirms plan to expand to 24 teams
Owners backed franchise conversion for 13 clubs and agreed to seek eight more teams, but no shareholder supported the NBA proposal at the October 6, 2026 meeting.
EuroLeague owners confirmed a plan to expand the competition to 24 teams starting in the 2027/28 season, but at a shareholder meeting in Cernobbio (Como) on October 6, 2026 they rejected the NBA’s initial offer to cooperate — while leaving the door open for future talks.
Key decisions and next steps
The attending club owners agreed to convert the current 10-year licences held by the thirteen ECA shareholder clubs into permanent franchises. The thirteen clubs named for franchise status are: Anadolu Efes Istanbul, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, CSKA Moscow, Armani Olimpia Milan, FC Barcelona, FC Bayern Munich, Fenerbahce Istanbul, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Olympiacos Piraeus, Panathinaikos Athens, Real Madrid and Zalgiris Kaunas.
In parallel, the clubs reaffirmed their intention to enlarge the competition by adding eight new franchises alongside the thirteen existing shareholders, bringing the total to 24 teams for 2027/28. The Board of Directors was tasked to continue a formal review of expansion offers and to present a final recommendation for shareholder approval in the coming weeks.
According to information shared with the meeting, the NBA’s proposal targeted existing shareholders rather than a broader open-entry model. No shareholder endorsed the NBA proposal during the session in Cernobbio. Organisers emphasised that rejecting the offer did not amount to closing the door on future collaboration.
The NBA has reportedly prepared contingency plans to launch its own 16-team competition — often referred to as "NBA Europe" — for the 2027-2028 season should talks with EuroLeague fail. Such a split would likely trigger a prolonged legal and commercial dispute over the European market for club basketball.
Club officials said a further meeting will be scheduled soon to finalise which additional franchises will join the competition and to approve the Board’s recommendation. The timetable remains dependent on the Board’s review and the owners’ vote.
Photo: press material from the event
