A group of EuroLeague clubs without permanent licences are taking steps to coordinate and defend a common position within the competition, aiming to gain greater influence in decision-making, improve revenue distribution and ultimately aspire to become full partners. According to BasketNews, the initiative brings together several teams currently competing in the EuroLeague without shareholder status, all seeking to renegotiate their place within the ecosystem through collective action.
The move comes at a particularly sensitive moment for European basketball. January has become a key month on the continental calendar, with the NBA playing several official games in Europe this week while continuing its analysis of a potential NBA Europe project. At the same time, the EuroLeague is facing internal negotiations over its business model, possible expansion and revenue sharing, with clubs assessing their medium-term future as NBA Europe takes shape and the Basketball Champions League continues to grow.
A euroleague at a crossroads
The core of the new association would include Dubai Basketball, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Valencia Basket, AS Monaco, Partizan Belgrade, Crvena Zvezda Belgrade and Virtus Bologna. They would be joined by Hapoel Jerusalem, with other clubs potentially coming on board at a later stage, including Besiktas Istanbul, PAOK Thessaloniki and Napoli Basket.
The initiative has been driven by Dubai Basketball, which will join the EuroLeague on a multi-year licence, and is based on a shared view among non-licensed clubs: that the current model, designed by the shareholders, is neither fully fair nor capable of unlocking the competition’s full financial potential. The group is even considering submitting a financial bid to enter the shareholder structure and secure a more balanced share of revenues. Paris Basketball, meanwhile, remains outside this equation for now, as it is pursuing the possibility of taking over the licence of ASVEL Villeurbanne, which is expected to move to the Basketball Champions League next season.
This internal debate coincides with the EuroLeague’s own reflection on its format. The competition is considering expanding to 24 teams and introducing a two-conference system, a model that would reduce the number of games per club, ease an increasingly congested calendar and, at the same time, increase the total volume of fixtures to boost broadcast revenues. This season’s expansion from 18 to 20 teams has intensified the issue, with numerous double-game weeks and a total of 47 games for teams reaching the Final Four.
Nba europe and the domino effect
The potential arrival of NBA Europe adds another layer of strategic pressure to the current landscape. The NBA has long been exploring ways to establish a more permanent presence in the European market, with a project that could involve a standalone competition, a closed structure and franchises in major markets, working alongside local investors and, potentially, existing clubs.
Although there is still no official roadmap or defined timetable, the project’s progression alone has already created a domino effect across the continent. Some clubs are weighing whether their long-term future lies in strengthening their position within the EuroLeague or keeping alternative options open, while the competition itself seeks to protect its status by reinforcing its economic appeal, institutional stability and control over Europe’s key markets.
The shareholder landscape also shifts
While non-licensed clubs coordinate their strategy, the situation among EuroLeague shareholders remains unresolved. Four of the thirteen shareholder clubs have yet to formalise their commitment to the new long-term licences. ASVEL Villeurbanne is not expected to remain a shareholder and is widely tipped to compete in the Basketball Champions League, pending a possible future integration into the NBA Europe project. Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Fenerbahce are in different situations, with talks ongoing and no definitive public decisions announced, alongside Olimpia Milano, Bayern Munich and Maccabi Tel Aviv, EuroLeague clubs that could also be linked to the American-backed project.
The combination of all these factors points to an open-ended scenario. If no agreement is reached, non-licensed clubs could be forced to negotiate individually or explore alternative paths, although the group’s stated priority remains to strengthen its position within the EuroLeague. The European basketball map is wide open, with many pieces still to be placed, negotiations under way and three potential competitions shaping the future landscape.
