MIAMI (United States) – Following the success of the inaugural edition of the Youth Basketball Champions League Americas (Youth BCL Americas), won by Brazil’s Paulistano, the FIBA Americas Regional Office has announced the creation of a National Qualification Phase for the 2027 edition. The initiative will allow clubs from the region’s top U17 national leagues to compete for a place in the Youth BCL Americas 2027 Final Phase. The system will see the top four clubs from each participating country's U17 national league compete in a Final Four, where they will face each other in a round-robin format. The team that finishes first will be crowned champion and automatically qualify. The National Qualification Phase will begin with Argentina’s U17 Liga Federal Formativa Final Four, which will be played on September 26 and 27. Afterward, from September 29 to October 1, Brazil’s U17 Campeonato Brasileiro Interclubes Final Four will take place. Games from both events will be available on the official BCL Americas YouTube channel. The champions of both Final Fours will thus secure their places in the 2027 Final Phase. The same model will subsequently be introduced in several other countries across the region ahead of the decisive stage of the Youth BCL Americas. The goal is to provide the U17 teams involved in this pathway with a month-long period of high-level competition. It will also strengthen the integration of youth basketball development across the Americas and foster closer connections between National Federations, youth leagues and clubs.
FIBA