MIAMI (United States) – The groups for the Basketball Champions League Americas (BCL Americas) Season 8 have been set following the official draw held this Tuesday in Miami, Florida. The ceremony was conducted by Gino Rullo, Head of Club Competitions at FIBA’s Regional Office in the Americas and was streamed live on the BCL Americas YouTube channel. The groups are as follows:
Group A
Astros de Jalisco (MEX) Real Esteli (NCA) Guaiqueries de Margarita (VEN)
Group B
Penarol (URU) Ferro (ARG) Minas (BRA)
Group C
Gimnasia (ARG) Pinheiros (BRA) Bigua (URU)
Group D
SESI Franca (BRA) Quimsa (ARG) Aguada (URU)
Before the draw, it was announced that Group A had been pre-assigned for geographical and logistical reasons. Astros de Jalisco (MEX), Real Esteli (NCA) and Guaiqueries de Margarita (VEN) were placed in the group. Therefore, only Groups B, C and D were drawn. It was also announced before the procedure that the highest-ranked teams from Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay in the most recent season of their respective domestic leagues would be drawn as the top seeds in Groups B, C and D. In addition, each group would feature only one team from each country to ensure competitive balance.
Competition system
The Group Phase will begin in December and will be played across three competition windows. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Quarterfinals, scheduled for March 2027. In the Quarterfinals, the matchups will be as follows: A1 vs. B2 D2 vs. C1 D1 vs. C2 A2 vs. B1 Each Quarterfinal series will be played in a best-of-three format, with the first game hosted by the lower-ranked team and the following two games hosted by the higher-ranked team. The winners will advance to the Final Four in April, where the Semifinal winners will compete for the title, while the losers will play for third place. The 2026-27 BCL Americas champion will claim the trophy currently held by Boca Juniors (Argentina) and will also represent the continent at the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in 2027.
FIBA