By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Euroleague Basketball officially revealed an updated adidas NextGen EuroLeague format on Tuesday.
The competition, showcasing promising European prospects, expands to pre-qualifying stages in Rijeka and Vienna, among six global tournament stops for the 2026–27 season.
Per the press release: “The adidas NextGen EuroLeague returns for the 2026-27 season with six tournament stops across Europe, up from four last year. The competition continues to showcase Europe’s top U18 talent, several of whom have gone on to become key players in the senior game.
New this season, two Pre-Qualifying Tournaments open the calendar, created to give more clubs a path into the competition as interest keeps growing among clubs and academies. Each Pre-Qualifier fields eight teams, including an adidas Select Program team, with the winner advancing to one of the four Qualifying Tournaments. The 2026-27 Pre-Qualifying Tournaments:
Rijeka, Croatia – October 23-25, 2026
The Kvarner basketball club with CEBA Academy hosts the first Pre-Qualifier, with the winner advancing to the Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade.
Vienna, Austria – November 27-29, 2026
Vienna Basketball hosts the second Pre-Qualifier, with the winner progressing to the Qualifying Tournament in Paris.
The four Qualifying Tournaments follow the same format used in past seasons: eight teams, including an adidas Next Generation Team, with the winner of each earning a place at the 2027 adidas NextGen EuroLeague Finals. This year’s hosts:
Munich, Germany – January 7-9, 2027
Munich returns to the calendar after a year away, with FC Bayern Munich back in the host role.
Bologna, Italy – January 21-23, 2027
Bologna hosts for the second year in a row, with Virtus Bologna staying on as organizer.
Paris, France – February 26-28, 2027
Paris will host the tournament for the second time, with Paris Basketball welcoming the Qualifying Tournament after hosting in the 2023-24 season. This year’s edition also takes in the winner of the new Rijeka Pre-Qualifier.
Belgrade, Serbia – April 2-4, 2027
Belgrade remains one of NextGen’s most reliable stops, with Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade back at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall. This year’s edition also welcomes the winner of the new Vienna Pre-Qualifier.
A win by the Next Generation Team doesn’t count for qualification at either stage; that spot instead goes to the next best-performing side as a wild card.
The Finals format holds steady: eight teams, made up of the four Qualifying Tournament champions and four wild cards, play a group stage from Thursday through Saturday before the Championship Game.
Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Kristaps Porzingis, Jean Montero, Franz Wagner, Deni Avdija and Domantas Sabonis are among the names who once played in this competition before becoming stars of the senior game, alongside Milos Teodosic, Vasilije Micic, Jonas Valanciunas, Nikola Mirotic, Donatas Motiejunas, Dario Saric, Hugo Gonzalez, Egor Demin, Maxime Raynaud, Jeremy Sochan and Goga Bitadze. With six stops now on the calendar, more prospects than ever will get the chance to follow in their footsteps.”
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