EuroLeague 2024-2025: Future of the Competition Decided in Barcelona, New Teams and Wild Cards

The future of the EuroLeague 2024-2025 is being written between today and tomorrow. The new board of the competition will meet in Barcelona to close the issue of the 18 participants in the next season.

Thirteen clubs have signed a new agreement expiring in 2040: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Baskonia, Olimpia Milano, Zalgiris Kaunas, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Bayern Munich, Asvel, Fenerbahce, Efes, Cska, Olympiacos and Panathinaikos.

These 13 will decide how to complete the roster, again giving up the Russian team, and confirming the annual wild card to Monaco, qualified ‘by right’ having won a place in the playoffs.

Paris Basketball should also be in the company. The Parisian club, after winning the EuroCup and the finals in France, has been examining the situation for a long time, but should announce the ‘yes’ in these hours, with a budget around 13 million euros.

That leaves four places, with Red Star (which won the Aba League), Partizan, Valencia, Alba Berlin and Virtus Bologna at stake. These would be annual wild cards costing EUR 1 million.

Virtus Bologna, after its renewal with Segafredo, is considered by many insiders as a sure participant together with the two Serbian teams. The ballot should therefore concern Alba and Valencia. For a long time, the Spaniards have been considered the most expendable, but news arrives from Germany about the doubts of the Capitoline team regarding the million euro to be paid for the wild card.

Another hot topic will be the introduction of a salary cap to calm the wage bill that has exploded in the last two years. The project is at an advanced stage and would be officially introduced in the 2025-2026 season.