LAKE COMO — EuroLeague will expand to 24 teams and introduce a two-conference format for the 2027-28 season, president Dejan Bodiroga has confirmed following a meeting of the competition's shareholders in Lake Como. The league will move away from its current 20-team model in which every club plays every other team, with the criteria for dividing the expanded competition into two conferences yet to be established.
“The next steps for EuroLeague are expansion and franchises. Already next year, we are changing the format from the current 20 clubs, where everyone plays everyone, to 24 teams, where there will essentially be two conferences,” Bodiroga said on the Radar Forum programme, according to Mozzart Sport on Sunday, 18 October.
The expansion forms part of a broader 10-year business plan approved unanimously by all 13 EuroLeague shareholder clubs at their 6 October meeting in Lake Como. The plan projects a combined value of more than €13 billion for the competition and its licensed clubs, with €3.4 billion in distributions to participating teams. Euroleague Basketball aim to generate €648 million in annual commercial revenue by the plan’s tenth year, with €2.2 billion of the projected distributions expected from commercial revenue and €1.2 billion from franchise fees through potential expansion windows in 2027 and 2031.
The organisation currently has 15 binding offers from prospective entrants with a combined value of €1.2 billion, with interested parties including teams from the EuroCup and clubs outside that competition. Bodiroga said Partizan and Crvena Zvezda are among the clubs discussed in connection with the future franchise structure and believes both Serbian sides have strong chances of remaining in the EuroLeague, although their status has not been formally confirmed. “I think both clubs have a very good standing with our board. Considering the process, their involvement and the requirements they need to meet, I think they have very good chances of being in EuroLeague. Simply put, I see them as long-term partners,” he said. Bodiroga also cited more than 3.3 million fans attending games last season and more than 500 million television viewers, praising Partizan for appearing to regain balance after two difficult seasons and Crvena Zvezda for encouraging early-season form after retaining most of their roster. In the 2026-27 regular season, Crvena Zvezda are 4-2 after six games while Partizan are 3-3.
The plans are unfolding as the NBA continues preparations for its own European competition, with discussions between the two organisations ongoing and NBA commissioner Adam Silver expressing optimism about a potential agreement. Whether the leagues can cooperate remains uncertain, but EuroLeague’s approved direction is now set for 2027-28: a 24-team competition, two conferences and a transition towards a franchise-based model.