Euroleague Basketball announces rule updates for 2026-27 season

Euroleague Basketball has announced a series of rule changes and clarifications that will apply to the inaugural 2026 Euroleague Basketball SuperCup, as well as the 2026-27 EuroLeague and BKT EuroCup seasons.

The updates rework the act of shooting guidelines and replace the unsportsmanlike foul with two new categories.

Several established Euroleague Basketball-adapted rules that remain in place for this season are also outlined below.

Rules changes and clarifications

• Act of shooting: a jump shot or other moving shot now begins the moment a player moves their shoulders and the ball upward toward the basket, and the player must be in the frontcourt for it to count. A drive to the basket is judged separately: the act of shooting typically starts between the three-point line and the basket, once the player gathers the ball and continues the shooting motion through release.
• New guidance also covers specific situations: rip-through (side-to-side) contact is always a foul on the floor, not a shooting foul; contact with a shooter’s hand on the follow-through is legal only if it’s minor and happens cleanly after the ball is released, with contact on the side of the hand, wrist, arm or body still always a foul; and if a defender steps into a shooter’s landing space and the shooter’s foot comes down on the defender’s foot, it’s now called as a flagrant foul rather than the old unsportsmanlike foul.
• Technical fouls are now split into two categories. Category 1 counts toward game disqualification and covers things like disrespectful communication, taunting an opponent, obstructing a player’s vision, and faking a foul. Category 2 does not count toward disqualification and covers delay of game, hanging on the rim after a dunk, and defensive goaltending on the last free throw.
• The unsportsmanlike foul has been replaced by two separate calls. A disruptive foul covers contact that breaks up the flow of play and puts an opponent at a disadvantage, without being serious enough to be flagrant, such as fouling to stop a fastbreak or to stop the clock late in a quarter. A flagrant foul covers contact that is not a legitimate basketball play, or that is reckless, violent or dangerous. Both carry the same penalty as the old unsportsmanlike foul, but only a flagrant foul counts toward disqualification.
• A player is disqualified after two Category 1 technical fouls, two flagrant fouls, or one of each. A head coach is disqualified after two personal Category 1 technical fouls, or three Category 1 technical fouls tied to bench conduct, whether all three go to the bench or one of them is charged to the coach personally.

Other rules to know this season

These are not new for 2026-27, but they are Euroleague Basketball-adapted rules that differ from standard FIBA basketball rules and tend to come up when a call is disputed:

• Defensive semi-circle: a secondary defender set up inside the semi-circle in front of the basket who does not jump vertically to play defence will be called for a blocking foul against an offensive player who crashes into them from outside it while airborne, unless that player wasn’t actually airborne on contact, or caught the ball inside the semi-circle, or led with their foot, knee or elbow.
• Coach challenges: head coaches get two per game, but forfeit one if it hasn’t been used within the first 38 minutes. A challenge can be made at any point in the game for anything on the Instant Replay System’s list of reviewable situations, with one exception: coaches cannot challenge which player committed a foul. Referees can review foul identity on their own to fix a possible recording error, but that specific review is not something a coach can trigger.
• A head coach will be automatically disqualified if they, or anyone else on the team’s bench list, step onto the court and interfere with an opponent’s fastbreak.
• Referees will no longer give a warning before calling a technical foul for behavior or for faking/flopping. Warnings remain in place for delay of game.
• Fighting: if one breaks out, substitutes, excluded players and other bench personnel are barred from stepping onto the court. They won’t be automatically disqualified for intervening to help restore order, as long as instant replay can confirm they weren’t actually involved.
• Signing under protest: only the head coach can sign the scoresheet in protest, and it has to happen at the first dead ball after the disputed call. If the head coach has already been disqualified, the assistant coach takes over that responsibility.
• Jump ball: games and overtime periods start with a jump ball at the center circle. After that, the team that did not gain the game’s first possession takes the throw-in to start both Q2 and Q3, while the team that did gain first possession takes the throw-in to start Q4. Players are allowed to run the endline to inbound the ball. A jump ball between the closest two opponents is also used for a handful of specific situations, such as a double violation on free throws or an overturned goaltending call where no team had control when the violation was whistled.

Euroleague Basketball reviews, clarifies and adapts specific rules each season, reaffirming its commitment to maintaining the highest standards for players, coaches and referees, while continuing to deliver the most competitive and fairest competition to its fans.