Basketball Champions League
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The Basketball Champions League (BCL), also commonly known as the FIBA Champions League, is an annual professional basketball competition for European clubs, organised by FIBA. It is the top-level competition organised by FIBA Europe, therefore the champion participates in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup.
Clubs qualify for the competition mostly based on performance in their national leagues and cup competitions. Although exceptional, some teams can be wildcarded.
Each season consists of 32 teams. The inaugural season was held in 2016–17 and since then five different clubs won the competition. Canarias, San Pablo Burgos and Malaga hold the joint record of most BCL titles with two each.
Creation and adoption
In October 2015, FIBA attempted to take back control of Europe's top-tier club competition, by proposing a new competition, featuring 16 clubs playing in a round-robin format. The top European clubs decided to remain in the Euroleague Basketball and adopt the same format, with 11 permanent out of 16 spots. FIBA then announced the launch of a new European basketball club competition, with qualification based only on sporting merit. In April 2023, the league established the Youth Basketball Champions League (YBCL) for under-18 BCL clubs.
Format
Tournament
The tournament proper begins with a regular season of 32 clubs divided into 4 groups. Seeding is used and clubs from the same country don't together. Games are held in a round-robin format. The top 4 from each group progress to the play-offs.
The regular season is played from October to January, and the playoffs start in February. In the round of 16 and quarter-finals, ties are played in a home and away format, based on aggregate scores. For the round of 16, the winner from one group plays against the fourth-placed from another group, and the runner-up against the third-placed from another group. The Final Four is typically held in the final week of April or the first week of May.
Arena rules
Currently, the minimum seating capacity for home arenas of the clubs that compete in the Basketball Champions League (BCL) is 3,000 seats. However, the Basketball Champions League organizing body has the authority to grant clubs with smaller arenas a waiver of the rule.
Prizes
Trophy
The current trophy is 65cm (26in) tall and made of sterling silver with 24ct gold plated highlights, weighing 8kg (18lb). It was designed by Radiant Studios and crafted by Thomas Lyte. A net forms the focus of the trophy, and the design creates the effect of a crown.
Prize money
From 2016–17 to 2017–18, FIBA reduced the overall prize money from €5,200,000 to €3,500,000, but doubled the winner's prize to €1,000,000. As of 2017–18, FIBA awards a base fee of €50,000 for reaching the regular season. In addition, FIBA pays clubs reaching the round of 16 €20,000, each quarter-finalist €30,000, €40,000 for the fourth-placed, €100,000 for the third-placed, €300,000 for the runners-up, and €900,000 for the winners.
Results
Performances by club
Over a hundred clubs from 28 national associations have played in or qualified for the Champions League group stage.
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain Tenerife | 2 | 2 | 2017, 2022 | 2019, 2024 |
| Spain Unicaja Malaga | 2 | 0 | 2024, 2025 | – |
| Spain San Pablo Burgos | 2 | 0 | 2020, 2021 | – |
| Greece AEK | 1 | 2 | 2018 | 2020, 2026 |
| Italy Virtus Bologna | 1 | 0 | 2019 | – |
| Germany Baskets Bonn | 1 | 0 | 2023 | – |
| Lithuania Rytas Vilnius | 1 | 0 | 2026 | – |
| Turkey Bandırma | 0 | 1 | – | 2017 |
| France Monaco | 0 | 1 | – | 2018 |
| Turkey Karşıyaka | 0 | 1 | – | 2021 |
| Spain Manresa | 0 | 1 | – | 2022 |
| Israel Hapoel Jerusalem | 0 | 1 | – | 2023 |
| Turkey Galatasaray | 0 | 1 | – | 2025 |
Medals (2016–present)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain | 6 | 3 | 5 | 14 |
| 2 | Greece | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 | Germany | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | Italy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Lithuania | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 6 | Turkey | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | France | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 8 | Israel | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Belgium | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (9 entries) | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 |
Broadcasting rights
| Country/Region | Broadcaster | Free/Pay | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| International | Free | ||
| Pay | |||
| Pay | |||
| Balkans | Arena Sport | ||
| Alternativna TV | Free | ||
| Austria | DAZN | Pay | |
| Spain | |||
| Switzerland | |||
| Germany | DYN | Pay | |
| Estonia | TV3 Group | Free & Pay | |
| France | Canal+, LNB.TV | Pay | |
| Greece | Cosmote TV | Pay | |
| Hungary | M4 Sport | Free | |
| Israel | Sports Channel | Free & Pay | |
| Italy | Eurosport | Pay | |
| Latvia | TV3 Group | Free & Pay | |
| Lithuania | TV3 Group | Free & Pay | |
| Poland | Canal+ Premium | Pay | |
| Romania | Look Sport | Free | |
| Turkey | Tivibu Spor | Free & Pay | |
| Vietnam | VTVCab |
Awards
Winning coaches and captains
Winning rosters
Youth competition
In January 2023, the BCL launched its under-18 competition named the Youth Basketball Champions League (YBCL). The inaugural season was hosted in the Turkish city of Bursa and featured 10 clubs. The winners of the inaugural season were Igokea.