By Javier Molero/ jmolero@eurohoops.net
Real Madrid is back in the Final Four. A familiar outcome over the past two decades, perhaps a reflection of the weight carried by the crest — or the demands that come with wearing the jersey of the most decorated club in EuroLeague history, with 11 titles to its name.
This marks the 11th time Los Blancos have reached the competition’s final stage since 2011, yet this year feels different. In what many coaches and players have described as one of the tightest and most competitive EuroLeague seasons ever, the standard has never been higher.
Alongside Madrid in Athens will be Olympiacos, Valencia Basket, and Fenerbahçe. Reclaiming the European crown they lifted in Kaunas in 2023 — notably against Bartzokas’ Olympiacos — will be anything but straightforward. Especially without their giant in the middle. But if there is one defining trait of Sergio Scariolo’s squad, it is their ability to turn adversity into fuel for the impossible.
A season of ups and downs — yet another Final Four
When Real Madrid opened the season with a 5–6 record and more questions than answers, much of the basketball world believed the pieces — a renewed structure from the front office to the locker room and coaching staff — would take far longer to come together.
From day one, the veteran Italian coach made his intentions clear: he would “speak in April and May.” And he has delivered on that promise. Embracing the positive side of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde identity, Madrid transformed the Movistar Arena into an impenetrable fortress, posting an 18–1 home record to offset their struggles away from the Spanish capital, where they went 6–13.
Finishing third in the regular season at 24–14 hardly looked guaranteed months earlier, but there is a reason Madrid are considered the kings of this competition. With 11 European titles and a legacy etched into the summit of continental basketball since the 1960s, Real Madrid is a team that rarely stops competing for the crown unless they are beaten repeatedly.
Endless changes and untimely injuries
After missing out on last season’s Final Four, Madrid underwent significant changes in pursuit of another title challenge. Sergio Rodríguez and Martynas Pocius stepped into leading roles in the sporting department, while Sergio Scariolo arrived to guide a reshaped roster. The club also added elite European talent in Theo Maledon, alongside experienced former NBA players such as Trey Lyles, Chuma Okeke, and Alex Len.
With defending champions Fenerbahçe strengthening further and both Olympiacos and Panathinaikos stockpiling star power, Madrid has managed to strike the ideal balance between defensive intensity and offensive versatility. “We’re reaching the Final Four at exactly the right moment,” Lyles said shortly before the team departed for Athens.
The 2026 Final Four now presents the perfect stage to prove that this project — built with both immediate ambitions and long-term vision — is moving in the right direction. Simply reaching the final four already suggests the season has been a success. But for a club that has won only one of its last three EuroLeague finals appearances, basketball ultimately demands a finishing touch to validate the journey.
The injuries to Edy Tavares (knee) and Alex Len (plantar fasciitis) at the most decisive point of the season have forced Scariolo into difficult adjustments. With Usman Garuba ready to shoulder greater responsibility, and with the possibility of Trey Lyles or Chuma Okeke featuring at center, Madrid’s coach faces the difficult challenge of replicating the defensive influence of the Cape Verdean giant — and everything that comes with it.
Valencia Basket: familiar foe, new contender
Waiting for Madrid will be Valencia Basket — a familiar rival and the latest challenger in Spain’s growing domestic and European rivalry. This will be the seventh meeting between the two clubs this season. They have faced each other in every competition available: the ACB League, EuroLeague, Supercopa, and Copa del Rey, with Madrid holding a 4–2 advantage.
Pedro Martínez’s side, a team that continues to shatter every supposed ceiling placed before it, arrives at the Final Four after a historic comeback against Panathinaikos. Riding a wave of confidence, Valencia now dreams of lifting the European title and making history in its first-ever EuroLeague Final Four appearance.
Standing opposite them, however, will be a hungry Real Madrid side — a club where expectation means victory and where no number of trophies is ever considered enough. After conquering Europe in Kaunas in 2023, falling to Panathinaikos in 2024, and missing out entirely in 2025, Madrid arrives in Athens with one objective and one only: to win the EuroLeague once again.