The Basketball Champions League has officially announced the initial composition of its 2026-27 season, in which Río Breogán will seek its ticket to the regular season from the qualifying round. The competition already has 30 clubs directly qualified, while the two remaining spots will come from the qualifying tournaments, which will be held from September 14-20.
The eleventh edition of the Basketball Champions League, sponsored by Ameresco SUNEL, is taking shape after the competition's Board ratified the list of participating teams. In total, 61 clubs applied for a spot before the deadline closed on June 19.
The regular season will be composed of 32 teams. For now, 30 already have their participation secured, while the two remaining tickets will be decided in the qualifying round. The regular season will begin on October 6, 2026.
The defending champion, Rytas Vilnius, will defend its title in an edition that will feature a notable presence of national champions. Among the teams with direct spots are nine national league champions: ALBA Berlin, Spartak Office Shoes, ERA Nymburk, Cibona, Windrose Giants Antwerp, Falco KC Szombathely, FC Porto, Legia Warszawa, and Sabah BC.
The competition will also feature three debutants in the regular season: BK KVIS Pardubice, Trabzonspor, and FC Porto. Additionally, several relevant names from the tournament's recent history are returning, such as Telekom Baskets Bonn, champion in 2023, along with BMA365 Bamberg Baskets, Peristeri Betsson, SIG Strasbourg, UCAM Murcia, and Windrose Giants Antwerp.
Spanish basketball will have a notable presence in the regular season with Asisa Joventut, UCAM Murcia, Surne Bilbao, and Unicaja. Río Breogán could join them, competing in the qualifying round within the group of teams classified as Country Representation 2.
AEK BC, for its part, remains the only club that has participated in all eleven seasons of the Basketball Champions League.
Teams with direct spots in the regular season
Rytas Vilnius (Lithuania, defending BCL champion)
Asisa Joventut (Spain)
UCAM Murcia (Spain)
Surne Bilbao (Spain)
Unicaja (Spain)
ALBA Berlin* (Germany)
BMA365 Bamberg Baskets (Germany)
Telekom Baskets Bonn (Germany)
Juventus Utena (Lithuania)
Nanterre 92 (France)
Cholet Basket (France)
SIG Strasbourg (France)
AEK BC (Greece)
Peristeri Betsson (Greece)
Trabzonspor (Turkey)
Galatasaray MCT Technic (Turkey)
ERA Nymburk* (Czech Republic)
BK KVIS Pardubice (Czech Republic)
Spartak Office Shoes* (Serbia)
Cibona* (Croatia)
Legia Warszawa* (Poland)
Pallacanestro Reggiana (Italy)
Pallacanestro Varese (Italy)
Igokea m (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Bnei Penlink Herzliya (Israel)
Hapoel Holon (Israel)
Sabah BC* (Azerbaijan)
Falco KC Szombathely* (Hungary)
Windrose Giants Antwerp* (Belgium)
FC Porto* (Portugal)
*National champions.
Teams in the qualifying round
The qualifying round will feature 24 clubs, divided into two tournaments. The winner of each will advance to the regular season.
Country Representation 1
BC Batumi 2010 (Georgia)
Bakken Bears Aarhus (Denmark)
CSM CSU Raiffeisen Oradea (Romania)
Fribourg Olympic Basket (Switzerland)
Landstede Hammers (Netherlands)
Patrioti Levice (Slovakia)
Petrolina AEK Larnaca (Cyprus)
Salon Vilpas (Finland)
Country Representation 2
BC Vienna (Austria)
BK Opava (Czech Republic)
Dziki Warszawa (Poland)
Fitness First Wurzburg Baskets (Germany)
Lions de Geneve (Switzerland)
Manisa Basket (Turkey)
Kolossos H Hotels BC (Greece)
Landau Lions (Azerbaijan)
Manchester Basketball (Great Britain)
Promitheas Patras BC (Greece)
Rilski Sportist (Bulgaria)
Río Breogán (Spain)
SL Benfica (Portugal)
RASTA Vechta (Germany)
VEF Riga (Latvia)
Denizli Basket (Turkey)
The qualifying round will take place from September 14-20, while the regular season of the Basketball Champions League 2026-27 will begin on October 6.