By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
The 13 EuroLeague clubs and shareholders will transition into permanent franchises shortly after the new 2026–27 season begins on July 1, according to Eurohoops sources.
Legal paperwork has already commenced to transform current licensing agreements into permanent franchise structures, a strategic overhaul expected to immediately boost league and team valuations by 25%. This permanent model secures indefinite participation for the founding members, driving long-term asset value and establishing a stable foundation for the competition’s commercial future.
This restructuring serves as the foundational step for Euroleague Basketball’s broader strategic vision, which includes expanding into new territories and major economic markets.
The league has already received more than 17 expansion offers from clubs, cities, and investment groups, including major hubs like London, Rome, and Berlin.
Individual franchise entry fees are projected to range between €50M and €90M, depending on market size and historical ties to the league, with Belgrade rivals Partizan Mozzart Bet and Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet reportedly at the forefront of this interest list. The formal evaluation process will begin the first week of July, when the league opens its data center to share financial frameworks with applicants.
The initial expansion phase, targeted for the 2027–28 season, aims to integrate six to eight new franchises, growing the tournament to 24 teams and guaranteeing two direct promotion spots from the EuroCup each season. A potential second phase could expand the field to 30 teams by 2028 or 2029.
This first expansion is projected to generate over €400M in franchise fees. This entire windfall will be distributed exclusively among the original 13 shareholder teams, yielding more than €30M for each founding club. New franchises will obtain equal voting rights on the ECA Boards and access to the market pool, though they will be excluded from this initial expansion cash distribution.
This structural shift aligns with a comprehensive valuation report by JB Capital, which places the current combined enterprise value of the league and its licensed teams at over €3.2 billion. The analysis values the league itself at €1.41 billion for the 2025–26 season and projects it to reach €1.64 billion for the 2026–27 season. The entire ecosystem could potentially reach a valuation of €4.3 billion by the 2026–27 season.
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