EuroLeague has approved a new financial plan that aims to distribute €3.4 billion among participating clubs over the next ten years. The initiative, backed by the competition’s 13 shareholder clubs at a meeting held on 6 October at Lake Como, establishes a roadmap to increase commercial revenue, raise the value of the competition and strengthen the financial stability of its teams. The project comes at a crucial time for European basketball, as the National Basketball Association (NBA) shows interest in the continental market and clubs choose to pursue the competition’s independent growth.
The strategy combines the distribution of commercial revenue with the expansion of the franchise model through two potential periods for admitting new teams, scheduled for 2027 and 2031. Of the projected €3.4 billion, €2.2 billion would come from revenue generated by the competition, while €1.2 billion would derive from franchise fees. EuroLeague also aims to reach annual commercial revenue of €648 million in the plan’s tenth year and estimates that the combined value of the competition and its clubs could exceed €13 billion over that period.
EuroLeague turns to franchises to increase its economic value
One of the key pillars of the new plan is the transition to a franchise-based model, through which EuroLeague expects to increase the value of the competition and its clubs by 25% from the 2026–2027 season. The initiative aims to establish a long-term framework that encourages investment, creates greater stability and allows teams to benefit from the tournament’s commercial growth. For the organisation, this change represents an opportunity to consolidate its economic structure and expand revenue streams beyond traditional commercial distributions.
Projections for the next decade reflect the scale of this transformation. The collective value of clubs currently holding licences could reach €5.4 billion, while the competition itself could be worth €7.98 billion. To drive expansion, EuroLeague is considering two franchise admission windows, scheduled for 2027 and 2031, and says it already has 15 binding offers. Revenue generated through these franchise rights would supplement the commercial distributions allocated to teams, although the development of these stages will depend on the implementation of the plan and the conditions of each expansion process.
Financial sustainability, economic controls and investment in facilities
Financial sustainability among clubs is another central objective of the strategy. According to figures presented by the competition, only 40% of licensed clubs are currently financially sustainable, while the goal is for every licensed team to achieve financial sustainability by the end of the first phase of the ten-year plan. Xavi Puyada, EuroLeague Basketball’s chief financial officer, said the growing value of the competition and its clubs would allow teams to retain ownership of a valuable asset without having to assume additional risks or make further investments to benefit from that growth.
The project also includes plans to strengthen Financial Fair Play regulations and maintain investment in strategic areas such as technology and innovation. The modernisation of sports facilities is another priority, aimed at improving club infrastructure and supporting commercial development. In this area, EuroLeague has established VenueCO, an initiative designed to provide clubs and other stakeholders with access to financing and specialised expertise to build, renovate and optimise sports venues. These measures form part of a broader strategy to consolidate the competition’s financial structure amid the transformation of European basketball, following the clubs’ rejection of an NBA offer and their decision to expand EuroLeague under their own development model.
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