MIES (Switzerland) - Summer's endings and familiar beginnings. Return to our beloved habits.
That's one way to describe the feeling of returning to the Basketball Champions League, powered by Ameresco SUNEL action as the competition enters Season 11, tipping off on October 6 with the usual format.
With 32 teams divided into eight groups with four teams each, eight sides will gain access to the Round of 16 by winning their respective group. The fourth-placed teams in the eight groups, instead, won't continue their trajectory in the competition, being out of contention after the first six games of the Group Stage.
Purgatory belongs to the second-placed and third-placed teams in the groups, as these sides from adjacent groups (G2 vs. H3, H2 vs. G3) will square off in the Play-Ins: best-of-three series with the winners advancing to complete the Sweet 16 picture.
That's why we have decided to preview Groups G&H together, keeping in mind that it's important to know what's going on in the neighboring group. Let's roll with it, as Season 11's just around the corner.
The favorites
Group G: ALBA BERLIN's participation in Season X, joining the BCL family, was announced during the BCL Final Four 2025 in Athens. Everybody knew they would have made noise after a few months.
Indeed, they captured attention. Pedro Calles' team, composed of a good mix of veterans and young talents, had a six-game winning streak after their opening defeat to Elan Chalon, and then overcame the Round of 16.
Luck wasn't on their side as they crossed paths in the Quarter-Finals with back-to-back champions, Unicaja. In both home and away fixtures, they lost only by three points. Overall, it was a positive learning experience.
Their early European elimination allowed them to prepare accordingly for the BBL Playoffs, eventually coming out on top in the Finals against their fiercest domestic rivals, Bayern Munich.
ALBA have now built their base on continuity, especially in the backcourt. They extended Martin Hermannsson, MVP of the German League Finals, and secured the stay of Jack Kayil, BCL Best Young Player of Season X, despite the 20-year-old talented point guard being drafted by the New York Knicks with the No. 39 pick.
Justin Bean, Sam Griesel, and Norris Agbakoko are among this season's confirmed players, while newcomers Brandon Angel (16.9 points and 7.9 rebounds in 2025-26) and Jordan Ford are expected to deliver right away.
Group H: When Badalona was announced as the host of the BCL Final Four 2026, every green-and-black Catalan fan started dreaming about a continental triumph at home, in the Palau Municipal d'Esports.
After all, Asisa Joventut approached their first-ever season in the BCL in perfect fashion: they became the first team in the competition's history to win their initial nine games of the campaign, before losing to Chalon on the road in February, during the Sweet 16. Then, in the Quarter-Finals, they couldn't pull it off.
Going up against AEK BC, they managed to win by 22 points in Game 2, but couldn't seal the deal in front of a rocking black-and-gold wave of Greek fans. Entering 2026-27, they have already had a golden outcome.
Before returning to the BCL in Season 11, Penya have won their first trophy after an 18-year drought. What makes it even more special is the fact that they did it at home, beating Barcelona in the Supercopa final.
They were able to end their suffering and long-time trophy fasting by perfectly executing on the offensive end, led by the duo of Joventut icons, the prodigal sons back together in the Olimpic: Ricky Rubio and Nicolas Laprovittola, immediately named MVP of the competition after scoring 31 points in the final outcome.
Joventut's vast majority of last season's core stayed in town, including Ante Tomic and the Swedish duo composed of Ludde Hakanson and Simon Birgander. Some new faces will soon become fan favorites: Kwan Cheatham Jr., Boogie Ellis, Eli John Ndiaye, and Emir Sulejmanovic.
Games to watch
Group G: The last time fans have been able to watch BCL basketball in the Miribilla Arena, two other Spanish teams took the court instead of the usual Men In Black hosts.
Four years have passed since the BCL Final Four 2022, which featured Manresa, Tenerife, Holon, and Ludwigsburg; Surne Bilbao will now have the chance to recreate BCL historic moments at home.
Conquering back-to-back FIBA Europe Cups, the Basque team return to the BCL after appearing in 2020-21 and 2022-23. Don't miss their first home game on October 14 at 20:00 CET, against SK Slavia Praha ERA NBK.
Group H: After being crowned champions in 2023 in Malaga, Telekom Baskets Bonn had the following two seasons living on the edge between being close to a return to the Final Four and a disappointing campaign.
The Germans weren't among the participants in Season X's starting grid, but they have now come back into the competition. Their home games will be loud, and the first one is on October 7 at 20:00 against FC Porto.
It will be even louder in Badalona, as Joventut fans don't want to stop dreaming after starting the season so well. They play their first home fixture on October 6 at 20:30 against Bnei Penlink Herzliya.
Cinderella stories
Group G: One could say Bilbao deserve a shout as Group G's Cinderella, finally reaching the BCL after being on top of the FIBA Europe Cup for two straight seasons; one could say Igokea m:tel, which reached the competition's Sweet 16 only in their first participating season, back in 2020-21.
However, during the summer, something has changed in the Czech basketball landscape, with two prominent names in the country joining forces by merging into SK Slavia Praha ERA NBK. Quite a statement.
While the red-and-white entity never managed to qualify for the competition in the past, we have been used to seeing Nymburk get into the Group Stage for nine of the total ten BCL seasons played thus far. Led by the legendary Vojtech Hruban, #5 in the BCL Top-50, they might surprise straight from the beginning.
Group H: Since their first appearance in the league in 2022-23, SL Benfica have reached the Regular Season in four straight campaigns, most recently in Season X. Now, Portugal has another representative.
Having won the Portuguese Championship in 2025-26 and, most recently, the Portuguese Supercup, the blue-and-white side from Oporto are ready to make their first European appearance.
Not having the same experience on this stage as Joventut, Bnei Herzliya, or Bonn, they will need time and adjustments. They have counted on signing experienced players for Season 11, and they might be a revelation.
Players to watch
Group G: As mentioned previously, the New York Knicks decided to put their hopes for the future in Jack Kayil, who has already proved he can compete at the highest level, both in club and country competitions.
After being named BCL Best Young Player in Season X, he's ready to take over for ALBA, emerging as one of Europe's most talented point guards. The German national team is aware they're in safe hands with him.
Looking at other players in Group G, Harald Frey has been on a mission for Norway. In four games for his national team at the FIBA EuroBasket 2029 Pre-Qualifiers, he has posted 22.3 points and 7.0 assists per game.
The Scandinavian guard will try to translate the excellent performances provided for his country into concrete help for the Basque team. His connection with the Icelandic giant, Tryggvi Hlinason, might be dangerous.
Group H: When we talk about the growth of African basketball, Angola have to be mentioned among the countries where the passion for the game has turned into significant results at the highest stages.
And when we talk about Angola, we have to stress how much Childe Dundao has been a factor.
He has carried the national team to gold at FIBA AfroBasket 2025 and Petro de Luanda to triumph in the 2024 Basketball Africa League. Moving for the first time to Europe, he will debut in the BCL with Porto.
From European newcomers to stars who have shone continentally over the past decade, we all know what Nicolas Laprovittola is capable of. We're pretty lucky he will compete weekly in the BCL in Season 11.
Last but not least, with Bonn back in the BCL, we can't conclude this preview without mentioning who could stand out for the Germans. Can John-Michael Wright follow in the footsteps of predecessors like TJ Shorts?