MUNICH (Germany) – The FIBA Europe Cup Qualifiers commence on Wednesday, with four teams vying to advance to the Regular Season.
Six teams will play in three two-legged ties, with the winner of each matchup advancing, alongside one lucky loser - to be determined in accordance to Section D of the Official Basketball Rules.
The extra spot was opened up after German club RASTA Vechta qualified for the Basketball Champions League.
Neftchi SC vs BC Parnu
An intriguing battle between Neftchi SC and BC Parnu, with the former looking to return to the Regular Season and improve on last time out, when they narrowly missed out on a spot in the Second Round. Neftchi will look to join fellow Azerbaijani club LANDAU Lions in the Regular Season as they host the first leg, before travelling to Estonia.
Parnu will be hoping to get out of the Qualifiers after losing to PUMPA Basket Brno last season, though they did play in the Regular Season in the 2022-23 campaign when they had a 2-4 record.
Ones to watch: Elijah Hawkins (Neftchi SC); Javeon Jones (BC Parnu)
KK Samobor vs BC Prievidza
KK Samobor will take part in the FIBA Europe Cup for the first time and will look to take down a BC Prievidza side that reached the Second Round last season. The Croatian side have the chance to set the tone in the tie when they welcome their opponents to Zagreb for the first leg.
Prievidza qualified as lucky losers last season after a one-point loss to Cibona, but made the most of their opportunity by advancing with a 4-2 record. In the Second Round, they came up against eventual finalists PAOK and Bilbao, but a lot of positives to take into the new campaign.
Ones to watch: Glen Burns (KK Samobor); Dalibor Hlivak (BC Prievidza)
KB Peja vs Dinamo Bucharest
22-time Romanian champions Dinamo Bucharest will aim to reach the Regular Season for the first time as they take on returning FIBA Europe Cup side KB Peja of Kosovo, who last competed in 2024, when they were eliminated in the Qualifiers.
It's a big chance for both sides to make their mark onto the Regular Season with the first leg played in Kosovo, before the decisive return fixture takes place in Romania.
Ones to watch: Trevor Moore (KB Peja); Jonathan Stark (Dinamo Bucharest)
FIBA