BUCHAREST (Romania) - The FIBA Europe Board, term of office 2023-27, concluded its eighth meeting in Bucharest, Romania on Friday.
The event, which was hosted by the Romanian Basketball Federation in the capital city’s impressive Palace of Parliament, was chaired by FIBA Europe President Jorge Garbajosa, with FIBA President Sheikh Saud Ali Al Thani, FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis and FIBA Executive Director Europe Kamil Novak also in attendance.
The President of the National Sports Agency, Mr. Constantin-Bogdan Matei, welcomed the delegates to Bucharest, while the President of the Romanian Olympic Committee, Mr Mihai Covaliu, addressed the meeting.
In his opening statement, Mr. Garbajosa referred to 2025 as one of the most eventful summers in European basketball history and for FIBA Europe, including the very successful delivery of two EuroBaskets in eight host countries.
Review of EuroBasket and Women’s EuroBasket 2025
The Board was presented with a full review of both FIBA EuroBasket 2025 and FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2025, underscored by the impressive digital and broadcast numbers and the significant media impact that both competitions generated. An economic impact study for EuroBasket 2025 is currently in progress and is expected to be presented to the Board during the March session.
Road to Women’s and Men’s World Cups
In his remarks, Mr. Zagklis offered an update on the Road to Berlin for the FIBA Women's World Cup in 2026, and the imminent start of the Men’s Qualifiers for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 in Qatar.
FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2029 and 2031
The bidding process for the hosts of Women’s EuroBasket 2029 will start in the summer of 2026 with the award of the hosts expected by March 2027.
The competition will tip off with the Women’s EuroBasket 2029 Pre-Qualifiers First Round in November 2026 and February 2027, featuring the 10 teams that will not make the Women’s EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers Second Round. Three of those 10 teams will advance to the Second Round which should be played in a tournament format in June 2027.
Updates on club competitions
The Board acknowledged a report on the recent development with regards to the future of European club competitions and negotiations with ECA and the NBA.
It also received running reports on EuroLeague Women, EuroCup Women, FIBA Europe Cup and Basketball Champions League.
European Championships for Small Countries
The 2026 FIBA European Championships for Small Countries will be hosted by Gibraltar, from June 23-28, while the FIBA Women’s European Championship for Small Countries will be played in Peja, Kosovo, from June 23-28.
Hosts approved for FIBA Youth EuroBaskets 2026
The delegates approved the majority of hosts of the 2026 FIBA Youth EuroBaskets, while there has been an early designation for 2027.
The hosts for the 2026 events are as follows:
YOUTH EUROBASKETS - MEN
EVENT | DATES | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
FIBA U16 EuroBasket | August 7-15 | TBC |
FIBA U16 EuroBasket, Division B | August 6-15 | TBC |
FIBA U16 EuroBasket, Division C | July 4-12 | Yerevan, Armenia |
FIBA U18 EuroBasket | July 25-August 2 | Trentino, Italy |
FIBA U18 EuroBasket, Division B | July 24-August 2 | Rijeka & Opatija, Croatia |
FIBA U18 EuroBasket, Division C | July 21-26 | Skhodra, Albania |
FIBA U20 EuroBasket | July 11-19 | Ljubljana, Slovenia |
FIBA U20 EuroBasket, Division B | July 10-19 | Bratislava, Slovakia |
YOUTH EUROBASKETS - WOMEN
EVENT | DATES | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
FIBA U16 Women's EuroBasket | August 14-22 | Pitesti, Romania |
FIBA U16 Women's EuroBasket, Division B | August 13-22 | TBC |
FIBA U16 Women's EuroBasket, Division C | July 7-12 | Ta'Qali, Malta |
FIBA U18 Women's EuroBasket | August 1-9 | Stockholm, Sweden |
FIBA U18 Women's EuroBasket, Division B | July 31-August 9 | Ploiesti or Tulcea, Romania |
FIBA U18 Women's EuroBasket, Division C | July 21-26 | Peja, Kosovo |
FIBA U20 Women's EuroBasket | July 4-12 | Vilnius, Lithuania |
FIBA U16 Women's EuroBasket, Division B | July 4-12 | Samokov, Bulgaria |
The following early designation for FIBA Youth EuroBasket tournaments was approved for 2027:
FIBA Women’s U16 EuroBasket, August 13-21, in Samokov Bulgaria.
Other matters
The Board received updates on FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2027, including the recent first window of the Qualifiers, and on EuroBasket 2029 preparations.
It was also presented with an update on all development programs of FIBA Europe and heard reports by the various Commission chairs and approved the budget for 2026.
The Board additionally approved a supplementary eligibility concept for European city states, as proposed by the Small Countries Commission.
The next Board meeting is scheduled to take place in Paris, France, on March 27, 2026.
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