By Nikola Miloradovic / info@eurohoops.net
More than 20 clubs and investment projects expressed interest in securing EuroLeague franchises, as the competition announced, with 11 proposals accepted for the next stage of the application process and another four placed on hold.
Up to eight candidates will ultimately be selected to join the competition’s 13 existing shareholders under the new long-term franchise model, with the final decision expected at the end of September.
Those 11 new candidates “are submitting formal binding offers, representing a combined value of almost €700 million in franchise fees”.
In practice, EuroLeague announced an expected expansion to 24 teams, with 21 of them becoming permanent franchises, securing 21 of the 24 spots, or 20 if CSKA still doesn’t have the right to compete.
Per the press release: “The Board of Shareholders of Euroleague Commercial Assets (ECA) met on Tuesday, August 25, to receive an update on the implementation of the Transformational Strategic Roadmap approved on March 3, which is designed to accelerate the long-term growth, value creation and global positioning of Euroleague Basketball.
The Board also reviewed the latest developments across the League’s relationships with key stakeholders, the franchise expansion process, commercial performance and the implementation of the three-year Strategic Business Plan.
The Board was informed of the signing of an agreement with the Euroleague Basketball Head Coaches Board (EHCB), establishing the basis for the development of the first comprehensive Framework Agreement with the head coaches’ union.
ECA Shareholders were also updated on the renewal of the agreement with the Union Euroleague Basketball Officials UEBO, expected to be signed this weekend during the 27th Pre-Season Clinic for Officials at Wroclaw.
Together with the existing EuroLeague Framework Agreement with the EuroLeague Players Association (ELPA), these agreements strengthen the alignment between Euroleague Basketball and its key sporting stakeholders, including players, head coaches and officials, as the League enters its next phase of development.
The franchise application process
This next phase, of course, is the creation of franchises: “The Board received an update following the successful completion of the first round of the franchise application process, officially launched in July 2026, which aims to award up to eight new long-term franchises for the 2027-28 season.
The process has generated more than 20 formal expressions of interest and proposals from existing EuroLeague and EuroCup clubs, as well as new investment projects seeking to join the competition. Following an initial assessment against the established criteria and valuation levels, eleven proposals were pre-accepted for the first franchise allocation stage and subsequently progressed to the next phase of the process, with four additional proposals remaining on hold.
All eleven pre-accepted candidates are submitting formal binding offers, representing a combined value of almost €700 million in franchise fees, for an overall expected investment exceeding €3.2 billion for the next 5 years. Interest has come from a broad range of markets, including established European basketball territories and new investment projects from continental Europe and the Middle East, highlighting the growing commercial appeal of Euroleague Basketball and the attractiveness of its long-term franchise model.
The Board approved the continuation of the established evaluation and due diligence processes for the eleven pre-accepted candidates. During the second phase of the process, Euroleague Basketball will conduct a more extensive due diligence review of each pre-accepted proposal, before presenting its final recommendations to the Owners’ meeting, which is scheduled to take place at the end of September 2026, for final approval.
This process is expected to accelerate the execution of the Transformational Strategic plan, growing the aggregated value of the League and its clubs to €4.3 billion by 2027 as projected by JB Capital.
The Board also received an update on the League’s continued commercial performance, including revised projections for the current business cycle.
Management presented projected year-on-year revenue growth of 15%, representing a significant increase over the revenue projection presented to the General Assembly on July 7, responding to the last commercial agreements subscribed by the League.
The continued commercial performance reflects the strategic direction pursued by Euroleague Basketball in recent years, with sustained growth across its commercial, media, digital and partnership activities supporting the League’s transition into its next phase of development.
Management presented an update on the implementation of the three-year Strategic Business Plan, including initiatives focused on organizational and operational scalability and the development of new growth opportunities.
The Board was updated on progress across several strategic areas, including the expansion and scalability of Euroleague Basketball’s assets across professional and grassroots basketball; technology and innovation with Euroleague Basketball+ at the forefront of the organization´s transformative vision to become the digital home of European basketball; and venue modernization and development, supported by the newly created ArenaCO, a vehicle designed to provide participating clubs and other stakeholders with access to financing and expertise to build, enhance and create programming at their venues.
The Strategic Business Plan targets increasing the collective enterprise valuation of Euroleague Basketball to €2.5 billion within three seasons, supported by the continued development of the League’s commercial ecosystem, global reach and long-term franchise structure.
The CEO also provided the Board with an update on recent constructive discussions with senior executives from the NBA and FIBA regarding potential areas of future collaboration in European basketball”.
“Binding offers close to €700 million”
Chus Bueno, CEO of Euroleague Basketball, commented: “Euroleague Basketball is experiencing a strong momentum, both commercially and strategically, with important long-term partnership renewals agreed in recent weeks and the launch of new events that continue to expand our platform.
At the same time, the level of interest generated by the franchise process is another clear reflection of the confidence that clubs, investors and new projects have in the future of Euroleague Basketball. Binding offers close to €700 million, representing an aggregate investment of more than €3.2 billion over the next five years, demonstrate the strength of our business model and the value being created across the League.
We will now continue with a rigorous due diligence process to ensure that the projects selected meet the highest standards and strengthen the competition both competitively and commercially. Our plan is to present the conclusions of this process to the Board of Directors and Owners at the end of September, when they will vote on the final transition to the franchise model and determine the number and names of the clubs to be included in the first stage of the franchise expansion for the 2027-28 season.”
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