Mies Draw Highlights Ambitious Expansion Plans
The Basketball Champions League completed its Season 11 draw in Mies, Switzerland, confirming that 30 clubs will contest the regular‑season groups while 24 others will fight for the remaining spots in the qualification tournaments.
Those qualification tournaments are scheduled to run from 14 to 20 September, using a single‑game elimination format, and the two winners will earn a place in the regular season.
The regular season itself will feature 32 teams divided into eight groups of four, with each group winner advancing directly to the round of 16. The second‑ and third‑placed teams will meet in a best‑of‑three play‑in series in January before the knockout phase begins.
Action is set to begin on 6 October 2026, marking the start of a campaign that will see the eventual champions and runners‑up qualify for a new NBA‑FIBA‑backed league expected to launch in the fall of 2027.
The partnership, discussed during a workshop with NBA representatives, aims to reshape the European basketball landscape and to give the continent’s top clubs a clearer pathway to global competition.
Among the 32 clubs entering the regular season, ten hold the distinction of being national league champions, and an impressive 80 percent of the 54 teams that entered the draw progressed to at least the semi‑finals of their domestic championships.