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FC Porto, the reigning national basketball champions, have secured direct entry into the Basketball Champions League (BCL) group stage for the 2026/27 season for the first time. Meanwhile, runners-up SL Benfica will need to navigate the qualification tournaments to earn their spot in the regular season.
The BCL organization has already released the list of 30 clubs guaranteed entry into the competition, which includes the Porto club. This marks the Dragons' third appearance in the tournament, but their absolute debut in the group stage. It's worth noting that FC Porto was the first Portuguese club to compete in the BCL, participating in its inaugural edition back in 2016/17.
Alongside FC Porto, the list of directly qualified teams features 15 other national champions, including Alba Berlin (Germany), Spartak Office Shoes (Serbia), ERA Nymburk (Czech Republic), Cibona (Croatia), Windrose Giants Antwerp (Belgium), Falco KC Szombathely (Hungary), Legia Warszawa (Poland), and Sabah BC (Azerbaijan).
Benfica, on the other hand, is among the 24 teams vying for the two remaining spots in the regular season. Qualification will be contested across two distinct tournaments, with only the winner of each advancing. Potential opponents for the Eagles include teams like Rio Breogan (Spain), Promitheas Patras (Greece), RASTA Vechta (Germany), and Manisa Basket (Turkey).
The qualification tournaments are scheduled to take place between September 14th and 20th. The Basketball Champions League regular season will tip off on October 6th, 2026. The draw to determine the groups and qualification pairings will be held on July 8th in Mies, Switzerland.
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