MOGI DAS CRUZES (Basketball Champions League) - The Basketball Champions League Americas (BCLA), FIBA’s new ​​club competition in the region, will tip-off this Monday, October 28 with the Mogi das Cruzes (Brazil) and San Lorenzo (Argentina) matchup in Sao Paulo.

The season opener of the BCLA will played tonight, Monday, October 28 at 20 hours (GMT-03), between Mogi das Cruzes (Brazil) and San Lorenzo de Almagro (Argentina), at the Professor Hugo Ramos stadium in Mogi das Cruzes (Sao Paulo, Brazil), followed by the Capitanes (Mexico) and Real Estelí (Nicaragua) matchup to be played in Chihuahua. 

 The Basketball Champions League was created in 2016 in Europe and is part of a central FIBA ​​strategy to configure the international club competition. Teams that participate successfully in their national league are awarded the platform to participate in a top-level continental competition. That same spirit now extends to the Americas edition that was created this year with the goal of reaching a sustainable economic model, a new competition system with home and away games, participation by sporting merit, and strengthening the national and regional leagues. The winner of the Basketball Champions League Americas will qualify for the FIBA ​​Intercontinental Cup.

The first window will continue tomorrow, Tuesday October 29 in Santiago del Estero, Argentina where Quimsa (Argentina) will face Aguada (Montevideo). On Thursday, Biguá will play San Lorenzo at home and Capitanes will battle their compatriots Fuerza Regia; while on Friday, November 1, Franca will face Aguada and Instituto will play Flamengo.

As for the competition's format, the first phase of the BCLA will feature four groups of three teams each, with two qualifying teams per group that move on to the Quarter-Finals, which will be a best-of-three series. The Semi-Finals and the Final will also be decided in a best-of-three format.

The competition will take place from October to March, with windows in the following dates: October 28 to November 1 (8 games), November 25 to 29 (8 games), December 16 to 20 (8 games), January 14 to 21 (Quarter-Finals), February 14 to 29 (Semi-Finals) and the Final on the week between March 9 and 14, 2020.

FIBA