By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
It is all about wins, specifically two wins leading to the Round of 16 of the Basketball Champions League Season X, powered by Ameresco SUNEL. The middle seeds across the eight groups of the Regular Season resume the 2025-26 journey with Game 1 on Tuesday and Game 2 on Thursday. Earning homecourt advantage, the second seeds will host Game 1, as well as a possible deciding Game 3 next week.
Two best-of-three series are launching in Germany, with Fitness First Wurzburg welcoming Patrioti Levice in tectake Arena and MLP Academics Heidelberg taking on ERA Nymburk in GBG Halle am Herzogenried. The Game 2 clashes are in Bratislava’s Gopass Arena and Prague’s Kralovka Arena, respectively. Before the next stage, 29-year-old Ryan Mikesell reunited with Heidelberg after a brief spell with the London Lions, and 27-year-old Will Carius parted ways with Levice.
Bursa and Mersin shape a Game 1 double in Turkiye, with Tofas getting Cholet at Tofas Arena and Mersin Spor versus Le Mans in Servet Tazegul Arena. Those series will be moving to France this week, before a potential return to Turkiye next week.
Two Game 2 affairs will be held in Greece, after Karditsa Iaponiki travels to Subotica to face Spartak Office Shoes and Promitheas Vikos Cola to Chalon-sur-Saone to take on Elan Chalon. On the way to their series, Spartak picked up 32-year-old Javontae Hawkins, and Karditsa added 26-year-old Marios Poulianitis after releasing 25-year-old Robert Chougkaz.
Ενίσχυση στην περιφέρεια με Μάριο Πουλιανίτη.https://t.co/tyIR2ifvyL pic.twitter.com/U5mVdr2UGM
— A.S.Karditsas (@askarditsas) December 30, 2025
Italy’s Trieste and Trapani Shark will be at home in Game 2. The former side is getting started in Hungary against NHSZ-Szolnoki Olajbanyasz and the perfect home record of the NB I/A champions. The latter side travels to Bulgaria to take on Hapoel Netanel Holon.
Play-Ins
| Game 1 (6/1) | Game 2 (8/1) | Game 3 (13-14/1) | |
| 1. Hapoel Netanel Holon – Trapani Shark | 17:45 CET | 20:30 CET | |
| 2. Mersin Spor – Le Mans | 18:00 CET | 20:00 CET | |
| 3. Tofas – Cholet | 18:00 CET | 20:00 CET | |
| 4. Spartak Office Shoes – Karditsa Iaponiki | 20:00 CET | 17:30 CET | |
| 5. Elan Chalon – Promitheas Vikos Cola | 20:00 CET | 19:30 CET | |
| 6. Fitness First Wurzburg – Patrioti Levice | 17:30 CET | 18:00 CET | |
| 7. MLP Academics Heidelberg – ERA Nymburk | 18:30 CET | 18:30 CET | |
| 8. NHSZ-Szolnoki Olajbanyasz – Trieste | 18:00 CET | 20:00 CET |
*if necessary
Round of 16
Among the top seeds of the Regular Season, securing a direct ticket to the next stage, Rytas announced reinforcements last week in 29-year-old combo forward Jordan Caroline and 32-year-old point guard Speedy Smith, who previously suited up for the Vilnius outfit in the 2021-22 season.
Group I: Rytas, Galatasaray MCT Technic, Winners 1-2
Group J: ALBA Berlin, AEK, Winners 3-4
Group K: Joventut Badalona, Unicaja, Winners 5-6
Group L: La Laguna Tenerife, Dreamland Gran Canaria, Winners 7-8