By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Real Madrid has committed to continue playing in the EuroLeague for the 2026-27 season, as reported by Jose Ignacio Pinilla for AS on Thursday morning.
This expected decision ensures all shareholder clubs remain locked into Europe’s premier basketball tournament, amid current plans to create a new top-tier continental league, widely referred to as NBA Europe. The team based in the Spanish capital was the final stakeholder required to renew before the June 30 deadline.
By maintaining its position as a full shareholder, Los Blancos avoided a costly exit clause or a downgrade to wild-card status, protecting vital voting rights and crucial market-pool broadcasting revenues, as noted in the update regarding the powerhouse’s continental image.
Following similar delayed decisions by Fenerbahce Beko and LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, this stability comes at a critical time as Euroleague Basketball transitions toward a lucrative franchise model valued at over three billion euros, including Madrid’s massive commercial appeal.
Simultaneously, the landscape is bracing for a major shift with the NBA’s ongoing plans in partnership with FIBA, supported by improved relations between executives of all involved sides. The new league targets a launch at the start of the 2027-28 season.
It has to be noted that the NBA obviously understands that teams need to make decisions about where to play next season, so it remains to be seen what kind of deal Real Madrid will have with the EuroLeague, because the report doesn’t clarify the length of a possible commitment. The NBA Europe plans are on track for a 2027 launch, and a crucial decision may have to be made by Madrid in the summer of 2027.
On the other hand, since Real Madrid is a shareholder, the only offer on the table from the EuroLeague should be a standard ten-year license with an opt-out clause of 10M euros.
Under Sergio Scariolo, the team finished third in the EuroLeague’s 2025-26 Regular Season with a 24-14 record. After a successful run in the Playoffs, defeating Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv in four games, they placed second in the 2016 EuroLeague Final Four in Athens, presented by Etihad, falling short to Olympiacos in the championship game at the Telekom Center Athens.
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