MIES (Switzerland) - The Basketball Champions League, powered by Ameresco SUNEL celebrates the 10-year anniversary as Season X tips off on October 7, with the usual format.
Eight teams will gain access to the Round of 16 by winning their respective group, while the fourth-placed teams will be out of contention after the first six games of the campaign.
The second and third-placed teams from adjacent groups (G2 vs.H3, H2 vs. G3) will face each other in the Play-Ins, in best-of-three series, with the winners of these eight series making their way to complete the Sweet 16.
With this kind of a competition system, it's important to know what's going on in the other group, which is why we are previewing the Regular Season two groups at a time.
The favorites
Group G: We don't need to say the obvious, do we? Unicaja are clearly the favorites not only to come out on top of Group G but also to go - once again - all the way to gold in May.
They are only the second team in Basketball Champions League history, after San Pablo Burgos, to win the league in back-to-back editions. They recently won their second straight FIBA Intercontinental Cup, and it looks like they won't stop contending for trophies in domestic competitions either.
Ibon Navarro surely lost some iconic players like Kameron Taylor, Tyson Carter, and Dylan Osetkowski, but they added valuable protagonists in Xavier Castaneda, Chris Duarte, and James Webb III.
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Group H: Just like Joventut Badalona, Dreamland Gran Canaria shifted to BCL action in the 2025-26 season, boosting the level of competition coming from Spanish teams.
Despite this being their first season in the league, they would like to compete from the first tip-off, displaying a similar brand of basketball to their neighbors, La Laguna Tenerife.
With head coach Jaka Lakovic on board, they're expected to make some noise in Season X.
Gran Canaria have plenty of players with experience, and some hidden gems in Isaiah Wong, Braian Angola, and Carlos Alocen, who hopes to have a healthy season to keep displaying his magic.
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Play-In series material
Group G: The elephant in the room was pretty small this time, as most people believe Unicaja will stand on top of Group G with ease, but which teams will continue their trajectory in the Play-Ins?
On paper, Mersin Sports Club and Karditsa Iaponiki look ahead of Filou Oostende.
The Turkish side have bet on their backcourt composed of Justin Coobs and Anthony Cowan, while the Greeks are confident about the two Jeffersons, Brandon and Damien.
Group H: What's more difficult than predicting the outcome of Group H in the 2025-26 BCL Regular Season? Well, we don't have a lot of answers, honestly.
Trevor Hudgins will lead Le Mans Sarthe Basket and Olivier Hanlan will be Spartak Office Shoes' main offensive source, hoping to propel their teams to Play-In territory. But don't rule out SL Benfica as well.
Potential Cinderella stories
Group G: One would think that Mersin, a debutant in the competition, would be the Cinderella of this group, but we have already listed how many experienced guys they have on board.
On the other end, Oostende are going through a rebuilding process with new head coach Georgios Dedas in town; the Belgians will need to perform in the best way possible to book a ticket for the Play-Ins.
Group H: One Play-In appearance and two straight eliminations in the Regular Season: this is the track record for SL Benfica, the first and still only Portuguese team able to compete in the BCL. Can things change this year?
As previously mentioned, it will likely be a three-team contention for those two spots in the Play-Ins, and it's a pretty balanced clash.
With the Portuguese national team reaching the Round of 16 in FIBA EuroBasket 2025, the Eagles dream of flying high and doing the same in this competition.
Players to watch
Group G: Hearing that your club might bring over a guy like Chris Duarte warms every fan's heart. That's what Unicaja supporters are experiencing now that the Dominican has chosen Malaga for his first season in Europe.
He's a scoring machine, and he has proven it in different scenarios. 17.1 points per game in his sophomore year in Oregon, 13.1 in his first NBA season with Indiana, 20.2 last season in Puerto Rico. Expect more of this.
Group H: Coming over to Lithuania during the 2024-25 season, Isaiah Wong didn't find the smoothest of transitions to European basketball, but there's a reason why we rank him #10 in our Player Power Rankings.
Selected in the 2023 NBA Draft with the 25th overall pick by Indiana, Wong will give Gran Canaria a different dimension in the backcourt, imposing his height, quick first step, and different ways to find the basket.
Youngsters to follow
Group G: At just 21 years of age, Noam Yaacov has already had significant experiences in ASVEL, Hapoel Jerusalem, and Hapoel Tel Aviv, while also debuting for the Israeli national team.
Now, joining Filou Oostende to come back to the BCL Regular Season more steady and mature, the 2004-born guard has all the necessary tools to become one of the best young players in all of Europe.
Group H: Switzerland were the surprise of the tournament at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025, knocking out France in Lausanne and attracting a lot of attention worldwide in basketball.
Surely, Lucas Maniema was one of the reasons why, finishing with 7.7 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game for his country.
He probably won't get the highest of playing times with Gran Canaria, but it's worth keeping an eye on him.
Must-watch games
Group G: The two-time BCL champions against the rookie of the competition, and a lot more to expect.
Unicaja hosting Mersin on October 8 at 20:30 CET, in Season X opening week, will feature plenty of interesting matchups: Kendrick Perry vs Anthony Cowan, Tyson Perez vs Ben Bentil, Aleksander Balcerowski vs Gabe Olaseni.
Group H: It's pretty safe to say that Portuguese basketball isn't only on a rise, but delivers in terms of atmosphere each and every time. Benfica fans surely aren't an exception to this rule.
That's why their first home game of the season, against Group H favorites Gran Canaria, is a must-watch. Make sure to tune in on October 7 at 21:30 CET.