Euroleague Basketball has officially launched its franchise process, marking a major milestone in the organization’s long-term strategic plan to strengthen and expand the top club basketball League in Europe. The ECA General Assembly was briefed about the process following the approval of the Board.
As previously announced, Euroleague Basketball is committed to expanding the league to 24 teams by the 2027-28 season. As part of this process, the organization intends to award up to eight long-term franchises for the 2027-28 season, while guaranteeing two spots for qualifying clubs from the EuroCup and preserving the flexibility to grant wild cards where appropriate.
The process has already generated exceptional interest before its official opening, having more than 20 formal proposals at the established valuation levels. The number of interested investors continues to grow every week. Collectively, the proposals received to date represent more than €1.2 billion in potential investment, a figure that is expected to continue increasing as the process advances.
In parallel with the franchise application process, Euroleague Basketball is advancing the transformation of the 13 existing shareholder licences into long-term franchises, a process that is expected to be completed during the 2026-27 season.
The conversion of the shareholders’ long-term licences into franchises will be carried out without any associated franchise or entry fee, recognizing their longstanding commitment and contribution to the League.
Interest has come from both existing EuroLeague and EuroCup clubs, as well as ambitious new projects seeking to join the competition. In particular, Euroleague Basketball has received multiple proposals from investors and projects based in Rome, Berlin and London, highlighting the growing appeal of the league in some of Europe’s largest sports markets.
“Our strategic plan, approved by the Board of Directors when I joined the organization back in February, continues to be executed successfully, and we are extremely pleased with the progress we are making,” said Chus Bueno Euroleague Basketball CEO. “European basketball is experiencing an extraordinary moment. Interest from investors continues to increase every week, and it confirms the tremendous opportunity we have to accelerate the growth of our sport and our competition.“
FRANCHISE ALLOCATION PROCESS
The franchise application process officially opens in July, with the first franchises expected to be awarded from September onwards. All new franchises will remain subject to final approval by the Board and the execution of the corresponding franchise agreements.
The entry fee will be determined on a case-by-case basis, taking into account factors such as the strategic importance of the market, the club’s historical contribution to value creation within the League, whether the project is new or established, the size and engagement of its fanbase, and other relevant criteria.
All interested parties that have formally entered the process have already received the official documentation, including the company’s strategic plan, which projects that both the value of the initial franchise investment and the overall franchise valuation will double within three to four years.
Each applicant will have the opportunity to present its project as part of the evaluation process. Euroleague Basketball expects to announce the first selected clubs and strategic markets between September and November, subject to the successful completion of the evaluation and approval process.
Chus Bueno added: “Investors see Euroleague Basketball as a premium competition featuring the best clubs, the strongest brands and intellectual property in European basketball, combined with an entry model that is both realistic and attractive. We have a clear strategic plan that we believe can significantly increase the value of these investments over the next three to four years. Our objective is to create substantial value for franchise partners while offering a highly attractive and sustainable investment opportunity.”
Commenta
Visualizza commenti