The Euroleague Commercial Assets (ECA) Assembly of Syndicated Shareholders convened recently to solidify the framework for the highly anticipated 2025-26 basketball season, confirming an expanded EuroLeague field and the participating teams for both the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the BKT EuroCup. This landmark meeting also saw the approval of the season calendar, significant rule changes, and updated financial regulations, signaling a new era for European club basketball.

A major development for the upcoming season is the expansion of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague to 20 teams. The confirmed roster for the 2025-26 EuroLeague season includes: Anadolu Efes Istanbul, AS Monaco, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, Dubai Basketball, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, FC Barcelona, FC Bayern Munich, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, Olympiacos Piraeus, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, Paris Basketball, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, Real Madrid, Valencia Basket, Virtus Segafredo Bologna, and Zalgiris Kaunas. AS Monaco and Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv notably earned their spots through EuroCup qualification rules, with Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv securing its place by winning the previous season's EuroCup trophy.

To bolster long-term stability and support the strategic expansion, the Assembly approved the allocation of long-term wildcards. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, Valencia Basket, and Virtus Segafredo Bologna received three-year wildcards, while Dubai Basketball secured an unprecedented five-year wildcard, underscoring the league's commitment to developing projects in both established and emerging markets. Discussions are also ongoing with Paris Basketball regarding a potential long-term collaboration.

The BKT EuroCup also announced its list of 20 participants for the 2025-26 season: 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys, Aris Midea Thessaloniki, Bahcesehir College Istanbul, BAXI Manresa, Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse, Dolomiti Energia Trento, Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem, London Lions, Neptunas Klaipeda, NINERS Chemnitz, Panionios Athens, ratiopharm Ulm, Slask Wroclaw, Turk Telekom Ankara, U-BT Cluj-Napoca, Umana Reyer Venice, and Veolia Towers Hamburg. Compared to the previous season, significant changes include the departure of Gran Canaria and Joventut to the FIBA Champions League, as well as Hamburg, BC Wolves, and Sopot. New EuroCup participants welcomed for the season include Slask, Manresa (the sole Spanish representative), Chemnitz, Neptunas, London Lions, Tortona, and Panionios.

The London Lions are notably making an official return to the EuroCup, marking another significant milestone in their journey to compete at the highest level of European basketball. After a period of financial challenges, the club has revitalized under new ownership from the Lithuanian group Tesonet. Lenz C. Balan, CEO of London Lions, emphasized that their return is a