Euroleague Franchises: Valencia, Dubai, Paris, PAOK Lead
Euroleague plans to expand to 24 clubs next season, and unofficial reports say four clubs lead the first phase of permanent spots, with no Red Star or Partizan.
Among the fifteen bids for Euroleague franchises, four names are reportedly first in line: Valencia, Dubai, Paris and PAOK. Red Star and Partizan are not among them.
BasketNews obtained the list from its own sources and reports that the first decisions on permanent members could come as early as November or December 2026. The Spanish outlet Encestando was the first to mention the same four clubs publicly, and B92 adds that Greek media have also covered it. Euroleague has not confirmed any of this, so everything below should be read as unofficial information.
How will the franchises be awarded?
According to BasketNews, the process is expected to run in three phases:
- the first could come in November or December 2026,
- the second in early 2027,
- the third closer to summer 2027.
Entry to a franchise starts at 50 million euros, but the final price is negotiated with each club separately, so every candidate may pay a different amount. B92 describes the 50 million as an initial payment by candidates in the first phase, while BasketNews calls it an entry price that serves as the starting point of negotiations. The two sources differ on how they describe it, and there is no official explanation.
How many clubs are chasing eight spots?
Euroleague plans to play with 24 clubs from next season, with eight places set aside for permanent franchises. If all eight are awarded, 21 of the 24 participants will hold permanent membership. There are currently 15 bids on the table, worth about 1.2 billion euros in total. BasketNews adds that this figure matches the projected revenue from franchise fees in the large expansion windows of 2027 and 2031.
B92 does the math this way: take the four clubs named as first in line out of the 15 candidates, and 11 clubs remain for the other four spots. Among them are Partizan and Red Star, who have publicly announced their candidacy but, according to B92, are not considered favorites. That is the outlet’s own assessment and not an official ranking, because Euroleague has not published a list of candidates.
What does the NBA have to do with it?
Euroleague’s expansion is not separate from its talks with the NBA about a possible joint competition. BasketNews reports that the NBA opposes a 24-club league and, if a deal is reached, would prefer a smaller competition. B92 makes the same point, writing that this could affect negotiations over the so-called NBA Europe, since Euroleague is looking to expand further while the other side says it prefers a league with fewer teams.
According to BasketNews, Euroleague rejected the first framework the NBA proposed for a joint competition and is due to respond with a counterproposal. Both sides are preparing new notices in the coming weeks, and the outcome of those talks could also set the pace of expansion.
The only deadline mentioned in these sources is the first phase of awards, in November or December 2026. Until then, Valencia, Dubai, Paris and PAOK remain names from an unofficial list, and Partizan and Red Star are candidates whose position is, for now, only an estimate.
