EuroLeague Basketball has launched a brand-new competition to open its season: the EuroLeague Super Cup, a four-team Final Four event that will be played in Abu Dhabi before a single game of the regular campaign tips off.
The announcement, made jointly by EuroLeague Basketball and Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT Abu Dhabi), confirmed the inaugural edition will be staged at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island on September 18-19, 2026.
Four clubs will contest the first title: reigning EuroLeague champions Olympiacos Piraeus, 2025 champions Fenerbahçe, 2026 runners-up Real Madrid, and hosts Dubai Basketball, representing the United Arab Emirates.
The schedule pairs the two semifinals on the opening night, with Olympiacos facing Fenerbahçe and Dubai Basketball taking on Real Madrid, followed a day later by the third-place game and the final - both, according to ONE, kicking off around 5pm and 8pm Israel time.
"The launch of the EuroLeague Super Cup marks an exciting new chapter for European basketball," EuroLeague Basketball president Dejan Bodiroga said, a comment carried by ONE and echoed in identical form by Greek outlet Eurohoops, which attributed it directly to Bodiroga.
EuroLeague Basketball CEO Chus Bueno framed the new event as a way to broaden the competition's reach, saying it would let the league "engage new audiences with a premium event," while DCT Abu Dhabi director general Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry said the tournament reflected "our shared ambition to grow the game while creating world-class experiences for fans."
The Super Cup adds another fixture to an already crowded European basketball calendar and continues Abu Dhabi's push to host marquee EuroLeague occasions, following the emirate's earlier ventures hosting the league's showcase events.
For Dubai Basketball, the invitation offers a rare chance to test itself against three EuroLeague heavyweights on home regional soil, even though the club plays its own domestic season outside the EuroLeague itself.
With the four participants and full schedule now confirmed, attention turns to how the new curtain-raiser will be received by clubs and fans alike as the 2026-27 European season approaches.
