MIES (Switzerland) - The Basketball Champions League 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 (A2 vs. B3, B2 vs. A3) 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 neighboring group, which is why we are previewing the Regular Season two groups at a time.
Let's start with Group A and Group B, where two powerhouses from Lithuania and Germany are eager to impose their superiority.
The favorites
Group A: For the sixth straight campaign, Rytas Vilnius will play in the Basketball Champions League. Can Season X finally result in the red-and-black side competing for the Final Four? That's still uncertain, but it's pretty clear they will begin the Regular Season as favorites in Group A.
The continuity in the team's philosophy and identity with head coach Giedrius Zibenas isn't the only strength for Rytas, which will also count on a dynamic one-two punch in their backcourt.
Jerrick Harding, who experienced unbelievable individual seasons in the BCL with ERA Nymburk and BAXI Manresa, will play alongside Jordan Walker, who erupted for an all-time BCL scoring record at 54 points last season.
Don't forget the local hero Gytis Radzevicius, coming off an exceptional season in Vilnius and a FIBA EuroBasket 2025 campaign with the Lithuanian national team.
Finally, Arturas Gudaitis and Jacob Wiley compose a priceless center package. Everybody expects Rytas to start Season X strong.
Group B: 11 Basketball Bundesliga, 11 BBL-Pokal, 3 BBL Champions Cup, 1 FIBA Korac Cup. Does ALBA BERLIN's hardware collection speak enough about the yellow-and-blue team's legacy?
One of the most prominent teams in German basketball history will debut in the BCL, and they can't be undervalued in Group B.
The experienced Icelandic point guard Martin Hermannsson will not only be in charge of the team's control room, but also help the 19-year-old Jack Kayil to grow faster and better.
Expect alley-oop throws for Norris Agbakoko, ready to collect dunks and blocks. Boogie Ellis and J'Wan Roberts are both in their first-ever experience witnessing European basketball from up close: make sure to follow their steps, too.
If names aren't enough to convince you about tuning into ALBA's games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, be aware that they will display beautiful branded basketball in the Uber Arena and among gyms in Czechia, Azerbaijan, and France.
Head coach Pedro Calles likes his team to run fast, share the ball, and ignite the crowd.
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Play-In series material
Group A: In Group A, Promitheas Patras BC Vikos Cola and Legia Warszawa will likely put up a hard-fought battle to emerge as a contender for second position, with MLP Academics Heidelberg behind at the starting grid.
The Greek black-and-orange side are coming off a 1-5 campaign in the Round of 16, have brought solid guards such as Rob Gray and Kendale McCullum, and they want to return stronger than ever.
Moving to the Polish side, Jayvon Graves will certainly be the one to watch for Legia, while Andrzej Pluta hopes to recreate the magic witnessed at FIBA EuroBasket 2025 with his national team.
Group B: BC Sabah would surprise most observers if they were able to extend their stay in the competition. Therefore, ERA Nymburk and Elan Chalon start ahead, despite coming off different paths.
The Czech team were one of the most fun clubs to watch in 2024-25, but Francesco Tabellini and the team's core have all moved away. With that said, the returning Oren Amiel has already proven to inspire Nymburk's ambition.
On the other side, the French team have shocked the continent by knocking out UCAM Murcia in the Qualification Rounds.
Winning at the beginning of the season can be helpful, fueling their talent and chemistry even more.
Potential Cinderella stories
Group A: Have you ever heard about FC Bayern Munich's football dominance in Germany? Well, Heidelberg were doing the same in basketball back in the 50s and 60s, winning 10 German Championships in just a little more than a decade. Since their first relegation in 1980, those days came to an end.
However, after confirming their stay in Germany's basketball first class for three straight seasons, they surprised everybody in 2024-25, finishing 5th in the standings and earning their way to a first-ever appearance in the BCL.
The connection between Michael Weathers and Samuel Williamson should capture your attention.
Group B: No teams from Azerbaijan had ever made their way to the BCL since the competition's birth back in 2016-17. Therefore, Sabah have already made history simply by participating in the 2025-26 Regular Season. The Cinderella story in Group B can be written by itself, can't it?
While ALBA look the favorites to win the group with ERA Nymburk and Elan Chalon acting as the supporting cast, the pink-and-black side made sure to add experienced assets such as Justin Tillman, Jean-Marc Pansa, Hassani Gravett, and David Nichols.
Don't forget about Rimas Kurtinaitis from the sideline as well.
Players to watch
Group A: 54 points, 58 of efficiency. Those numbers belong to one of the craziest single performances in the history of European basketball, not only in the BCL. They belong to Jordan Jelly Walker.
He registered them with Promitheas Patras BC Vikos Cola last season against Fitness First Wurzburg Baskets. It will be interesting to see if he can take the next step in his move to Vilnius, where Rytas fans expect him to shine.
Group B: What a summer for Jeremiah Hill. First, he led Cameroon all the way to the FIBA AfroBasket 2025 Semi-Finals, and then he made his way to Season X with Elan Chalon through the Qualification Round Tournament.
He's one to watch in Group B alongside his teammate Lionel Gaudoux, who registered a monster performance over UCAM Murcia: 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists to book a ticket for the 2025-26 BCL Regular Season.
Youngsters to follow
Among the two groups, Jack Kayil is definitely the most intriguing youngster to follow, as his name will likely often appear in the list of candidates for Best Young Player of Season X in the BCL.
While the new wave of German talent has former BCL players in Johann Grunloh and Hannes Steinbach moving to the NCAA, just like Christian Anderson Jr., the 19-year-old playmaker decided to stay in Europe to continue shaping his craft.
What better way to do so than returning home to Berlin?
Coming off a significant experience in the ABA League with Mega Basket, he was among the protagonists of the German national team's runners-up roster at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025, where he averaged 11.1 points, 6.6 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game.
He also won gold at FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2024, collecting 15.3 points per encounter, and made his debut with the senior national team in the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers. Future's bright for ALBA's gem.
Must-watch games
Group A: Three American guards will go up against former teams in Group A. We already mentioned Jordan Walker's past in Promitheas, and he will go up against the Greeks on October 22 at 18:30 CET. In the same matchup, Kendale McCullum will play against his former Lithuanian club.
To leave space for Harding and Walker, Rytas had to say goodbye to Jayvon Graves, who has always been reliable in the BCL. He will return to Vilnius with Legia Warszawa on the Opening Day: October 7 at 19:00 CET.
Group B: With ALBA strongly considered the favorite to emerge on top of Group B, Nymburk and Chalon will probably be in contention for the second place and home-court advantage in the Play-Ins.
They will square off first on October 14 at 18:30 in Prague's Kralovka Arena, while their second matchup will take place in France on December 16, as the Regular Season will come to an end.