By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Teams from 24 countries were featured across the three Qualification Tournaments to complete the Regular Season of Basketball Champions League Season X, powered by Ameresco SUNEL. And 18 countries were represented over the next few months, until shaping the Round of 16 with surviving sides from nine countries heading to a new group phase.
Obviously, spreading the love to undervalued territories or even similar entire countries is the essence of equality in competition, especially with so many clubs all around Europe eager for a fair chance to compete at a high level. The BCL has been proudly providing such opportunities over the years, all the way to the ongoing tenth installment. Furthermore, nine separate countries among the last 16 teams tied for fifth on the all-time list of seasons with the most represented in the Round of 16.
Eurohoops reviews Champions League history, revealing the most diverse Round of 16 fields and the most successful countries.
Trend continues
For a second straight season, nine countries are represented in the Round of 16.
Under various formats since the introduction of the BCL in the 2016-17 inaugural journey, the Round of 16 has always been an important part of each season. The peak in most countries represented among the last 16 teams was at 11 from 2020 to 2022, from a best-of-three series in the first year to the current format of four equal groups over the next two years. Back in 2019, the last time the Round of 16 was contested in a home-and-away series, teams from ten different countries qualified. The 2025 and 2026 editions follow with nine apiece, with the remaining seasons ranging from eight to the lowest total of 6 in 2024.
List of countries per season
| Season | Countries | |
| 2019-20 | 11 | Spain (3), Turkiye (3), Greece (2), France, Russia, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Belgium, Czechia, Germany |
| 2020-21 | 11 | Turkiye (3), Spain (3), Italy (2), Israel, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Latvia, Russia, France, Greece, Czechia, Germany |
| 2021-22 | 11 | Turkiye (3), Spain (3), France (2), Israel, Germany, Italy, Romania, Belgium, Ukraine, Lithuania, Hungary |
| 2018-19 | 10 | Greece (3), France (2), Turkiye (2), Italy (2), Spain (2), Germany, Lithuania, Israel, Russia, Belgium |
| 2024-25 | 9 | Spain (4), Turkiye (3), Greece (2), Italy (2), Germany, Lithuania, Czechia, France, Hungary |
| 2025-26 | 9 | Spain (4), Greece (2), France (2), Turkiye (2), Germany (2), Lithuania, Israel, Czechia, Italy |
| 2017-18 | 8 | Germany (3), France (3), Turkiye (3), Greece (2), Spain (2), Poland, Czechia, Lithuania |
| 2016-17 | 7 | France (3), Greece (3), Turkiye (3), Italy (3), Germany (2), Lithuania, Spain |
| 2022-23 | 7 | Spain (5), France (3), Turkiye (3), Israel (2), Germany, Lithuania, Greece |
| 2023-24 | 6 | France (3), Turkiye (3), Spain (3), Greece (3), Germany (2), Israel (2) |
With any competition format in place, moving from the last 16 teams to the Quarterfinals is always a huge challenge for championship contenders, since outsiders are now confident enough to present a more solid bid to advance. Overall, at this stage, all teams are much more efficient and ready to go, compared to early-season originations, often connected to unstable showings and roster adjustments. And this is another reason for excitement entering the deeper stages of Season X, starting from the Round of 16.
Spain breaks through
With four Spanish teams entering the Round of 16 versus two from Turkiye, the previous tie in first place of the all-time list was broken. Up to 30 team berths, Spain is now alone in first place, with Turkiye settling at 28. France, Greece, Germany, and Italy, sitting third through sixth, are the remaining double-digit showings.
List of countries with the most Round of 16 berths
| Country | Berths | |
| 1 | Spain | 30 |
| 2 | Turkiye | 28 |
| 3 | France | 21 |
| 4 | Greece | 19 |
| 5 | Germany | 15 |
| 6 | Italy | 12 |
| 7 | Israel | 9 |
| 8 | Lithuania | 8 |
| 9 | Czechia | 5 |
| 10 | Belgium | 3 |
| – | Russia | 3 |
| 12 | Hungary | 2 |
| 13 | Bosnia-Herzegovina | 1 |
| – | Latvia | 1 |
| – | Poland | 1 |
| – | Romania | 1 |
| – | Ukraine | 1 |
Domestic to continental
With two tickets to the Quarterfinals available in each of the four new groups, often domestic meetings leave no room for error in both teams possibly progressing, or can even force at least one side to elimination, as was the case in 2023 with three Spanish sides in Group L. This season, three out of the four groups feature two teams from the same country, with Spanish collisions in Groups K and L, and a Greek one in Group J. Plain familiarity throws in more to natural intrigue, beyond previous issues stemming from domestic clashes likely coming into play.
Group I
Rytas (Lithuania)
Galatasaray MCT Technic (Turkiye)
Hapoel Netanel Holon (Israel)
Le Mans (France)
Group J
ALBA Berlin (Germany)
AEK (Greece)
Tofas (Turkiye)
Karditsa Iaponiki (Greece)
Group K
Joventut Badalona (Spain)
Unicaja (Spain)
Elan Chalon (France)
Fitness First Wurzburg (Germany)
Group L
La Laguna Tenerife (Spain)
Dreamland Gran Canaria (Spain)
ERA Nymburk (Czechia)
Trieste (Italy)