Exclusive: Zvezda and Partizan Set to Become EuroLeague Franchises as Competition Expands – Here's the List of 11 New Clubs
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The EuroLeague is on the cusp of significant transformation.
Chus Bueno, the CEO of Europe's premier basketball competition, has announced plans to expand the league to 24 teams by the start of the 2027/28 season. Furthermore, the long-anticipated shift to a franchise model is drawing closer.
Bueno explained that over 20 clubs from both the EuroLeague and EuroCup expressed interest in a franchise license. Following an initial assessment, the EuroLeague has narrowed the selection to 11 candidates. This means 11 clubs have already cleared the first phase of the franchise transformation process, while four applications are on hold. According to Sportal's sources, Partizan and Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet are among these 11. The exclusive list also includes Dubai, Valencia, Roma Maxima, PAOK, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Napoli, London Lions, Paris, and Virtus Bologna.
The fee per club is expected to be around 80 million euros. Among those who showed strong interest but did not advance were Besiktas, Aris, and Hapoel Jerusalem, who will need to await future expansion opportunities.
All 11 selected candidates are now submitting binding offers, with their total value, through franchise fees, estimated at approximately 700 million euros. The projected total investment within these projects over the next five years is expected to exceed 3.2 billion euros. The final amount will, of course, depend on which projects are approved, as not all candidacies are expected to be accepted. Eurohoops reports that out of 24 clubs, 21 are most likely to achieve franchise status: the 13 current EuroLeague owners, plus eight more from the aforementioned 11 clubs.
The interest in the franchise allocation process clearly demonstrates the confidence of clubs, investors, and new projects in the future of the EuroLeague. Binding offers worth nearly 700 million euros, which entail total investments exceeding 3.2 billion over the next five years, confirm the strength of our business model and the value being created across the league. We will continue with detailed checks to ensure that the selected projects meet the highest standards and contribute to the competition both athletically and commercially. The plan is to present the conclusions to the Executive Board and owners at the end of September, when they will vote on the final transition to the franchise model and decide on the number and names of the clubs that will be included in the first phase of expansion for the 2027/28 season.Chus Bueno
The EuroLeague also projects a 15 percent revenue growth compared to the previous year, with the total value of the league and its clubs estimated to reach an impressive 4.3 billion euros by 2027.
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