By Stefan Acevski/ info@eurohoops.net
As in this season, in the 2026/27 season we will see 20 teams and 38 games in the regular season.
Of course, this brings many good things, but we will also see the same number of matches in the first part of the season as in previous seasons, which ELPA did not like at all.
Due to all of this, ELPA issued a statement expressing dissapointement, and the managing director of the organization Bostjan Nachbar also gave his statement.
ELPA statement on EuroLeague Board decisions regarding competition calendar
“Following the EuroLeague Basketball (EB) Board Meeting of 14 April 2026, the EuroLeague Players Association (ELPA) welcomes the continued growth ambitions of EB and the recognition of player related topics within their discussions with the Clubs, but it expresses its clear disappointment that the number of regular season games will remain unchanged at 38 for the 2026–27 season.
This outcome is particularly concerning given that EB had previously indicated that the current format would be transitional in nature, linked only to the season 2025-26. The decision to maintain the current structure does not sufficiently address the increasing physical and mental demands placed on players.
Many factors, including elevated injury risk, accumulated fatigue, mental strain and reduced recovery are not only theoretical concerns but daily realities for players across the league, with direct implications for the quality, integrity, and long-term sustainability of the competition.
With another season of the condensed game calendar, ELPA emphasizes that enhanced working and performance conditions are no longer optional – they are required. EB’s continued commercial growth and Clubs’ increasing revenues must be matched by proportional investment in evolution of player conditions, including but not limited to:
• Comprehensive travel optimization (including expanded charter usage)
• Enforced league-wide qualified medical staffing at club level
• Improved recovery, training, and performance infrastructure
• Game scheduling protections to safeguard player health
At present, the EuroLeague remains behind other leading sports leagues in terms of standardized player care, quality of travel, performance environments, and workload management. Sustainable growth cannot be achieved without placing player health, performance capacity, and career longevity at the core of the league’s development model.
Bostjan Nachbar, ELPA Managing Director: “After daily discussions with players around the league, I can say that they support EuroLeague’s ambition to grow and evolve, but they also strongly feel that growth must be achieved on all levels. Players are the ones that feel the demands of condensed calendar every day – physically and mentally, therefore, the reality on the court needs to be recognized with tangible improvements outside of the court in the area of working conditions. This must now be addressed through concrete measures, not only discussions.”
ELPA will immediately engage in discussions with EB on elevating working conditions of players, who expect that EB’s discussions with Clubs, referenced in their latest press release, will lead to concrete and enforceable outcomes which players can see and feel.”