MIES (Switzerland) - The 32-team Regular Season field of the Basketball Champions League’s 9th edition was finalized on Sunday, following the conclusion of the four Qualification Round Tournaments that took place in Antalya, Turkiye.
Perennial Portuguese champions SL Benfica Lisbon, 19-time Czech champions ERA Nymburk, 2022-23 BCL champions Telekom Baskets Bonn and Turkish newcomers Aliaga Petkimspor earned the four Regular Season spots that were up for grabs, by virtue of prevailing in their respective tournaments.
Benfica and Nymburk triumphed in the two Champions Path Tournaments, that featured 12 national league champions in total. The Portuguese powerhouse will play in the BCL for the third season in a row, after defeating Swiss champions Fribourg Olympic 91-85 in the Tournament 1 Final on Saturday.
Nymburk have missed out on the BCL only once and on Sunday they proved that last year's absence was just a minor blip, as they erased a 13-point deficit to topple Estonian champions Kalev/Cramo 80-66 in the Tournament 2 Final.
On Saturday, Petkimspor clinched a 79-69 comeback victory over BCL old hand PAOK mateco in the Tournament 3 Final, and will take part in the competition for the first ever time in club history.
In the Sunday game that wrapped up action in the Qualification Rounds, Bonn denied Banco di Sardegna Sassari what would have been their eighth BCL campaign. A spectacular third quarter run propelled the German former BCL champions to a 78-71 win and they will return to their favorite competition for a third consecutive, and sixth overall, season.
A total of 16 different countries, spread all across the continent, will be represented in the 2024-25 Regular Season of the BCL, a fact that reaffirms the competition's truly pan-European nature for the 9th consecutive year.
The Regular Season draw had taken place in June, with placeholders for the four winners that would emerge from the Qualification Round Tournaments.
This is the full picture of all eight groups now that the four teams have joined the 28 that had a direct berth:
GROUP A
Hapoel Netanel Holon (ISR)
Igokea m:tel (BIH)
Nanterre 92 (FRA)
FIT/One Würzburg Baskets (GER)
GROUP B
Unicaja (ESP)
Filou Oostende (BEL)
King Szczecin (POL)
Aliaga Petkimspor (TUR)
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)
ERA Nymburk
GROUP E
AEK betsson BC (GRE)
VEF Riga (LAT)
Maccabi Ramat-Gan (ISR)
Telekom Baskets Bonn
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)
SL Benfica (POR)
GROUP H
UCAM Murcia (ESP)
Peristeri Domino's (GRE)
Manisa Basket (TUR)
FMP SoccerBet (SRB)
Regular Season action will tip off on October 1, following the same competition format as last season, with the 32 teams split into eight groups of four teams each.
The eight group-winners will qualify directly for the Round of 16, while the second- and third-placed teams in each group will do battle in the Play-Ins for the remaining eight spots.
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About the 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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