MIES (Switzerland) - The curtain on the 2024-25 season of the Basketball Champions League was officially raised on Wednesday, following the conclusion of the draw for the Qualification Round tournaments and the Regular Season.
Carlos Cabezas, a legend of reigning BCL champions Unicaja and a former FIBA Basketball World Cup and EuroBasket champion, alongside Czech international Vojtech Hruban, the first player in BCL history to score 1,000 career points, were on hand in the Patrick Baumann House of Basketball to assist with the draw procedure.
The Season 9 field includes teams from 29 countries, between the Regular Season and the Qualification Rounds.
All 28 clubs that are placed directly in the Regular Season had participated in the play-offs for the title of their respective domestic leagues last season.
There are 17 domestic league champions at the starting line, five of which are in the Regular Season, while the remaining 12 are from countries that will battle it out in the first two (of four total) Qualification Round tournaments.
Qualification Round Tournaments draw results:
TOURNAMENT 1 (Champions Path)
Quarter-Finals: Rilski Sportist (BUL) vs. BC Nokia (FIN) Sabah (AZE) vs. Norrkoping Dolphins (SWE)
Semi-Finals: Winner QF1 vs. SL Benfica (POR), Winner QF2 vs. Fribourg Olympic (SUI)
TOURNAMENT 2 (Champions Path)
Quarter-Finals: Trepca (KOS) vs. Keravnos BC (CYP) BC Kutaisi 2010 (GEO) vs. Patrioti Levice (SVK)
Semi-Finals: Winner QF1 vs. ERA Nymburk (CZE) Winner QF2 vs. Kalev/Cramo (EST)
TOURNAMENT 3
Quarter-Finals: Caledonia Gladiators (GBR) vs. CSM CSU Oradea (ROU) Aliaga Petkimspor (TUR) vs. Heroes den Bosch (NED)
Semi-Finals: Winner QF1 vs. PAOK mateco (GRE) Winner QF2 vs. Cholet Basket (FRA)
TOURNAMENT 4
Quarter-Finals: MoraBanc Andorra (ESP) vs. Windrose Giants Antwerp (BEL) Spartak Office Shoes (SRB) vs. Juventus Utena (LTU)
Semi-Finals: Winner QF1 vs. Telekom Baskets Bonn (GER) Winner QF2 vs. Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari (ITA)
The winner of each of the four Qualification Round tournaments will advance to the Regular Season. All four tournaments will take place between September 15 and September 22, with the detailed game schedule, as well as the venue, to be announced in July.
Regular Season draw results:
GROUP A
Hapoel Netanel Holon (ISR) Igokea m:tel (BIH) Nanterre 92 (FRA) Wurzburg Baskets (GER)
GROUP B
Unicaja (ESP) Filou Oostende (BEL) King Szczecin (POL) Winner QRT 3
GROUP C
La Laguna Tenerife (ESP) Pinar Karsiyaka (TUR) Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball (FRA) Kolossos H Hotels (GRE)
GROUP D
Galatasaray (TUR) Promitheas Patras (GRE) RASTA Vechta (GER) Winner QRT 2
GROUP E
AEK betsson BC (GRE) VEF Riga (LAT) Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan (ISR) Winner QRT 4
GROUP F
Rytas Vilnius (LTU) Falco Szombathely (HUN) Pallacanestro Reggiana (ITA) WKS Slask Wroclaw (POL)
GROUP G
BAXI Manresa (ESP) Bertram Derthona Tortona (ITA) NINERS Chemnitz (GER) Winner QRT 1
GROUP H
UCAM Murcia (ESP) Peristeri Domino's (GRE) Manisa Büyükşehir Belediyespor (TUR) FMP SoccerBet (SRB)
The eight group winners will clinch a berth in the Round of 16, while the second- and third-placed teams in each group will advance to the Play-Ins. The pairings in this phase are predetermined, with each second-placed team facing the third-placed team in the adjacent group, as follows:
Play-Ins:
Team A2 v Team B3 Team B2 v Team A3
Team C2 v Team D3 Team D2 v Team C3
Team E2 v Team F3 Team F2 v Team E3
Team G2 v Team H3 Team H2 v Team G3
Round of 16
The eight Play-In winners will join the eight Regular Season group winners to form the four groups in the Round of 16 phase. The two top teams in each group will qualify for the Quarter-Finals, from where the four participants of the season-ending Final Four tournament will emerge.
Group I Team A1 Team E1 Winner C2/D3 Winner G2/H3
Group J Team B1 Team F1 Winner D2/C3 Winner H2/G3
Group K Team C1 Team G1 Winner B2/A3 Winner E2/F3
Group L Team D1 Team H1 Winner A2/B3 Winner F2/E3
The 2024-25 Regular Season of the Basketball Champions League is scheduled to tip off on October 1, 2024.
You can rewatch the draw ceremony here:
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About Basketball Champions League The Basketball Champions League is an innovative joint partnership between FIBAClubCo and 11 top European leagues. It is a fair competition based on sporting principles, with teams qualifying through their national leagues.
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