By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
During the Final Four in Abu Dhabi, EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas spoke about the possibility of expansion, saying that the competition’s management “believes they are ready for 20 teams,” but emphasized that the final decision will be made by the clubs.
The time has come, as the EuroLeague will vote tomorrow on whether to expand the league from 18 to 20 teams.
Alongside last season’s clubs—excluding ALBA Berlin, which decided to move to the Basketball Champions League—Valencia and Dubai BC are considered the leading candidates to potentially join the league if expansion is approved. Meanwhile, Hapoel Tel Aviv has won the EuroCup and earned the right to participate in next season’s edition.
For a while, expansion seemed like just a matter of time, but regardless of tomorrow’s outcome, the league will maintain the round-robin format, even with 20 teams.
The situation is expected to become much clearer once the vote is finalized.