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, aimed at accelerating the long-term growth, value creation and global positioning of EuroLeague Basketball.
The Board reviewed several key areas, including the franchise expansion process, relationships with the League’s main stakeholders, commercial performance and the implementation of the three-year Strategic Business Plan.
EuroLeague, 11 proposals advance to the next phase
The first round of the franchise application process, officially launched in July 2026, 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 based on established criteria and valuation levels, 11 proposals were pre-accepted and advanced to the next stage of the franchise allocation process. Four additional proposals remain on hold.
All 11 pre-accepted candidates are now submitting binding offers representing a combined value of almost €700 million in franchise fees, with total expected investment exceeding €3.2 billion over the next five years.
Interest has come from a wide range of markets, including established European basketball territories and new investment projects from continental Europe and the Middle East.
Final decision expected in September
The Board approved the continuation of the evaluation and due diligence process for the 11 pre-accepted candidates.
During the second phase, Euroleague Basketball will conduct a more extensive review of each proposal before presenting its final recommendations to the Owners.
The Owners meeting is scheduled to take place at the end of September 2026, when final approval will be sought.
The process is aimed at introducing the first stage of the franchise expansion for the 2027-28 season, with the final number and names of the clubs to be included in the new structure determined at that stage.
According to projections by JB Capital, the process is expected to accelerate the implementation of the transformational strategic plan, with the aggregate value of the League and its clubs projected to reach €4.3 billion by 2027.
EuroLeague projects 15% revenue growth
The Board also received an update on the League’s commercial performance.
Management presented projected year-on-year revenue growth of 15%, significantly above the revenue projection presented to the General Assembly on July 7, following the latest commercial agreements signed by the League.
The continued growth covers EuroLeague Basketball’s commercial, media, digital and partnership activities.
New agreements with coaches and officials
EuroLeague Basketball has also signed 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.
The Board was also updated on the renewal of the agreement with the Union Euroleague Basketball Officials (UEBO), which is expected to be signed this weekend during the 27th Pre-Season Clinic for Officials in Wroclaw.
Together with the existing Framework Agreement with the EuroLeague Players Association (ELPA), the agreements strengthen alignment between EuroLeague Basketball and its key sporting stakeholders, including players, head coaches and officials.
Strategic plan focuses on technology and arenas
Management also presented an update on the three-year Strategic Business Plan, including initiatives designed to increase organizational and operational scalability and create new growth opportunities.
The plan includes the expansion of EuroLeague Basketball’s assets across professional and grassroots basketball, as well as technology and innovation, with Euroleague Basketball+ at the center of the organization’s digital transformation.
Venue modernization is another key area, supported by the newly created ArenaCO, which is designed to provide participating clubs and other stakeholders with access to financing and expertise to build, enhance and develop programming at their venues.
The Strategic Business Plan targets increasing the collective enterprise valuation of EuroLeague Basketball to €2.5 billion within three seasons.
EuroLeague in discussions with NBA and FIBA
The CEO also updated the Board on recent constructive discussions with senior executives from the NBA and FIBA regarding potential areas of future collaboration in European basketball.
“Euroleague Basketball is experiencing strong momentum, both commercially and strategically,” CEO Chus Bueno said.
Bueno highlighted the interest generated by the franchise process as another sign of confidence from clubs, investors and new projects 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,” Bueno said.
The due diligence process will continue in the coming weeks, with the conclusions set to be presented to the Board of Directors and Owners at the end of September.
At that meeting, they will vote on the final transition to the franchise model, the number of clubs to be included and the names of the teams that will form the first stage of the franchise expansion for the 2027-28 season.
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