“Mark Tatum singled out the biggest commercial markets”, — write: sport.ua
“If you’re a fan, it’s hard to follow professional basketball in Europe. The NBA is easy to follow, but European basketball is more difficult. The Euroleague top level does not cover some of Europe’s biggest commercial markets.
The UK doesn’t have a top-tier team at all, and it’s the biggest market in Europe. There is no top team there: neither in London nor in Manchester. In Paris, Berlin, or Rome, there is no permanent top-level team in the strongest league. That is, they miss out on the largest commercial markets, and because of this, they cannot effectively commercialize basketball.
Our idea is to create this league, let’s call it 12-16 teams, where the biggest countries will have permanent franchises. This is Great Britain, Spain, Germany, Italy or France. Two teams in each of those markets, where we know for sure there will be franchises, and then we’ll open up the rest of the ecosystem.”
The launch of the new league is scheduled for October 2027. The competition will feature 12 licensed, or permanent, teams, with a further four spots available each year through qualification.
One of these places will automatically go to the winner of the Champions League, while the remaining three will be determined through a qualifying tournament organized by FIBA with the participation of the teams with the best results in the national leagues. According to The Athletic, these qualifying tournaments are expected in June 2027.
