FIBA: New-look EuroLeague Women format, groups announced for 2024-25

FIBA has organized the competing clubs for the 2024-25 EuroLeague Women season into four regular-season groups. This is the first of many changes to the competition’s format this season, promising to elevate the intensity of the regular-season phase.

The last time EuroLeague Women had a four-group system was during the 2020-21 season. This time, there will be two phases of group play. In the initial phase, each club will play its group opponents twice in a round-robin format. The top three clubs from each group will then progress to the second phase and be re-seeded into two new groups.

During the second phase of group play, clubs will once again face their group opponents in a round-robin fashion. The winners of these groups will advance to the new EuroLeague Women Play-Ins, determining which clubs will participate in the postseason. Two clubs will automatically reach the semifinals, while the remaining four will compete for the other semifinal spots, leading to a “Final Six” rather than the traditional Final Four.

While the new format may seem complex, it aims to bring more excitement to the competition. The previous format often made it evident early on which clubs would compete for the championship. With the introduction of a second phase to group play, the competition pool will be diversified earlier in the season, potentially leading to a more competitive postseason.

Clubs chosen for regular-season groups and qualifiers

A total of 16 clubs will compete in EuroLeague Women for the 2024-25 season, with 13 already assigned to groups for the first phase of group play. Defending champions Fenerbahçe Alagöz Holding, runners-up Villeneuve-d’Ascq, and other frequent participants like Perfumerias Avenida, ZVVZ USK Praha, and Çukurova Basket Mersin are among the assigned clubs.

The remaining three spots will be determined in the EuroLeague Women qualifiers scheduled for September 18 and September 25. Teams like Casademont Zaragoza and Basket Landes, who participated in EuroLeague Women last season, will compete in the qualifiers. The three clubs that don’t advance will participate in the EuroCup Women competition, also commencing in the fall.