MIES (Switzerland) - ALBA BERLIN, the 22-time German champion and cup winner, will participate in the upcoming 2025-26 season of the Basketball Champions League (BCL).
With this move, the capital city club returns to European competitions organized under the umbrella of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) after 24 years competing in Euroleague Basketball tournaments (12 seasons in the EuroLeague, 12 in the EuroCup/ULEB Cup).
From their debut season in 1990-91 through to the end of the 2000-01 campaign, the Albatrosses played eleven seasons in FIBA competitions, achieving the biggest success in the club's history with their sensational victory in the Korac Cup in 1995.
The addition of ALBA BERLIN in the Season 10 line up will further strengthen the BCL competition and support FIBA in its vision of reshaping the club competition ecosystem. It also comes following the joint FIBA and NBA announcement on March 27 on the exploration of a new professional men‘s basketball league in Europe.
"By joining the Basketball Champions League, we are entering an exciting new chapter and responding to the changing landscape of European basketball," said ALBA BERLIN Managing Director Marco Baldi.
"We have a long tradition with the EuroLeague, and our aim has always been to play in the most competitive environment possible. However, the conditions for securing a EuroLeague spot have changed dramatically in recent years. With our values and our program - focused on financial sustainability, collaboration, and the development of the sport - we want to continue helping shape the future of the European basketball ecosystem," he added.
"We are confident that the FIBA-led European competitions will grow significantly in the coming years, which is why we've decided to join the Basketball Champions League."
"Welcoming ALBA BERLIN to the Basketball Champions League marks a significant milestone for our competition as we approach our 10th season. Our vision has not changed since the inception of the BCL, with a commitment to offer to our fans a competition of the highest quality and to continue delivering some of FIBA's strategic priorities in reshaping the club competition ecosystem," said Patrick Comninos, CEO of the Basketball Champions League.
"ALBA BERLIN's commitment to the BCL is a positive vote of confidence while we continue navigating the ever-changing landscape of European basketball. Berlin is also a key market for our long-term vision, and ALBA BERLIN are a club with a rich tradition, many achievements on and off the basketball court, a state-of-the-art arena, an impressive grassroots program, and a vibrant basketball community. We are therefore very proud to welcome ALBA BERLIN, Germany's most successful basketball club, into the BCL family."
In Germany, Basketball Champions League games are broadcast live by DYN. In the current 2024-25 season, 32 clubs from 16 countries are competing.
In the Regular Season, four teams played in each of eight groups, facing each other in home-and-away fixtures. This was followed by the Play-Ins, Round of 16, and Quarter-Finals.
This weekend, the four remaining top teams - AEK Athens, Galatasaray, Unicaja, and La Laguna Tenerife - will battle for the 2025 title in the BCL Final Four, powered by SUNEL in Athens.
The group draw for the 2025-26 season will take place on July 2 in Lausanne, Switzerland, with the new season set to begin on October 7, 2025.