The Basketball Champions League (BCL) Final Four is confirmed after the quarterfinals concluded, with Unicaja, La Laguna Tenerife, AEK Athens, and Rytas Vilnius as the four teams competing for the title at Palau Municipal d'Esports next May.
The path to the BCL Final Four was decided following a best-of-three quarterfinal round, with two series settled quickly and two others requiring a decisive third game. Rytas Vilnius and Unicaja sealed their qualification with authority (2-0), while AEK BC and La Laguna Tenerife had to resolve their series in the deciding game (2-1).
Rytas Vilnius struck first, eliminating ERA Nymburk in two tight contests (77-70 and 70-69), showing composure in close finishes. Meanwhile, Unicaja knocked out ALBA Berlin also by 2-0, in a more demanding series than the numbers suggest, with a second game that required overtime (88-85).
The other two series offered greater uncertainty. AEK BC prevailed over Joventut in the third game after a back-and-forth series, while La Laguna Tenerife delivered a dominant performance in the decisive matchup to eliminate Galatasaray and confirm their spot in the final phase.
With these results, the BCL Final Four will bring together three different countries and two Spanish representatives, solidifying the Liga Endesa's weight in the competition. Additionally, several of the teams are returning from last year's edition, which reinforces their consistency in the tournament.
Unicaja, the defending champion, reaches its fourth consecutive Final Four and will have the opportunity to continue expanding its recent dominance. La Laguna Tenerife, meanwhile, returns among the elite and now has seven semifinal appearances, reinforcing its status as one of the great historical references in the BCL.
AEK Athens returns to this stage for the fourth time, with the precedent of their 2018 title, while Rytas Vilnius is making headlines by becoming the first Lithuanian team to reach the Final Four in the tournament's history.
The Basketball Champions League semifinals will take place on Thursday, May 7, with two high-level matchups: Unicaja will face AEK Athens, while La Laguna Tenerife will take on Rytas Vilnius. The winners will advance to the championship game, scheduled for Saturday, May 9, the same day the third-place game will be played.
The BCL Final Four in Badalona will crown the new champion in a setting that brings together experience, tradition, and ambition in the final stretch of the European season.