Hapoel Tel Aviv have cleared the first hurdle of EuroLeague's biggest structural overhaul in years, confirmed among 11 candidates advancing toward the competition's new long-term franchise licences, ONE reported on Tuesday.
The Israeli champions are one of 11 clubs and ownership groups invited to submit binding offers for up to eight new permanent EuroLeague licences, alongside Valencia, Dubai, a Rome-based project, PAOK Thessaloniki, Napoli, Paris, Partizan Belgrade, Red Star Belgrade, Virtus Bologna and London Lions, according to Sport5.
Sport1 had already reported that Hapoel were keen to buy into the league's new ownership structure rather than rely on results alone to keep their place at Europe's top table.
The plan, which EuroLeague is pushing toward for the 2027/28 season, would turn the competition into a 24-team league: the 13 clubs that already hold permanent shareholder status, up to eight new long-term franchises, two places reserved for EuroCup finalists, and one further wildcard slot.
The numbers behind the process are striking. The 11 approved proposals represent binding offers worth close to €700 million in franchise fees alone, with total investment projected to exceed €3.2 billion over five years as EuroLeague targets a league valuation of roughly €4.3 billion by 2027, per ONE.
Not every applicant made it through. Hapoel Jerusalem, Hapoel Tel Aviv's great Israeli rival on the European stage in recent seasons, failed to advance past the initial screening, Sport5 reported, alongside Besiktas of Turkey. Three Russian clubs — Zenit, Kuban and Kazan — were also excluded, tied to Russia's continued suspension from European competition.
EuroLeague's administration is now running detailed financial and organizational due diligence on the 11 remaining proposals. A final recommendation is due to go before an ownership assembly meeting in late September 2026, when existing shareholders are expected to formally vote on the new franchise model.
For Hapoel Tel Aviv, the stakes are considerable. The club currently sits in EuroLeague only on a single-season licence earned by winning the 2024-25 EuroCup — a status that has to be renewed on merit. A long-term franchise would instead lock in guaranteed top-tier continental basketball, along with the revenue certainty and prestige that comes with permanent shareholder status, regardless of how the domestic season unfolds.
Nothing is finalized yet. The 11 shortlisted bids, Hapoel's among them, still have to survive further scrutiny before September's vote, and EuroLeague has given no public indication of how it will rank the competing offers from markets as varied as Dubai, Paris and Belgrade.
Still, simply reaching this stage marks a notable moment for Israeli basketball, with a second local club now formally in the running to secure a permanent seat at Europe's elite table alongside Maccabi Tel Aviv.
