European professional club basketball system
Encyclopedia
The European professional club basketball system or European professional club basketball pyramid is a series of interconnected competitions
for professional basketball
clubs in Europe
. The system has a hierarchical format with a promotion and demotion
system between competitions at different levels. There are currently three different competitions on the pyramid - the 1st tier Euroleague, the 2nd tier Eurocup, and the 3rd tier EuroChallenge
. The 1st and 2nd tier competitions are organized by ULEB
, and the 3rd tier competition is organized by FIBA Europe
.
competition gets promoted to the next season's edition of the 2nd tier Eurocup. The winner of each season's 2nd tier Eurocup competition gets promoted to the next season's edition of the 1st tier Euroleague.
Teams that fail to make it through the Euroleague qualifying rounds to qualify to that competition's regular season stage get demoted
to the regular season stage of the Eurocup. Teams that fail to make it through the Eurocup qualifying rounds to qualify to that competition's regular season stage get demoted
to the regular season stage of the EuroChallenge.
era and the current ULEB
era. For each competition, the organizer, the last official name, the current sponsorship name, if there is one (which differs from the official name), and the seasons in which the competition was organized are given.
League system
A league system is a hierarchy of leagues in a sport, usually with a system of promotion and relegation between consecutive levels of the hierarchy. They are often called pyramids due to their tendency to split into an increasing number of regional divisions the further down the pyramid one descends...
for professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
clubs in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The system has a hierarchical format with a promotion and demotion
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
system between competitions at different levels. There are currently three different competitions on the pyramid - the 1st tier Euroleague, the 2nd tier Eurocup, and the 3rd tier EuroChallenge
EuroChallenge
The EuroChallenge is the 3rd tier level transnational men's professional club basketball competition in Europe. It is organized and run by FIBA Europe...
. The 1st and 2nd tier competitions are organized by ULEB
ULEB
ULEB was founded in 1991, with the aim to help in the cooperation and development of European professional club basketball leagues...
, and the 3rd tier competition is organized by FIBA Europe
FIBA Europe
FIBA Europe is a zone within the International Basketball Federation which includes all 49 national European basketball federations.-Division A:-Division B: -Division C:...
.
Promotion and demotion format
The winner of each season's 3rd tier EuroChallengeEuroChallenge
The EuroChallenge is the 3rd tier level transnational men's professional club basketball competition in Europe. It is organized and run by FIBA Europe...
competition gets promoted to the next season's edition of the 2nd tier Eurocup. The winner of each season's 2nd tier Eurocup competition gets promoted to the next season's edition of the 1st tier Euroleague.
Teams that fail to make it through the Euroleague qualifying rounds to qualify to that competition's regular season stage get demoted
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
to the regular season stage of the Eurocup. Teams that fail to make it through the Eurocup qualifying rounds to qualify to that competition's regular season stage get demoted
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
to the regular season stage of the EuroChallenge.
The tier pyramid
The table below shows the tier structure of the pyramid for both the former FIBAFIBA Europe
FIBA Europe is a zone within the International Basketball Federation which includes all 49 national European basketball federations.-Division A:-Division B: -Division C:...
era and the current ULEB
ULEB
ULEB was founded in 1991, with the aim to help in the cooperation and development of European professional club basketball leagues...
era. For each competition, the organizer, the last official name, the current sponsorship name, if there is one (which differs from the official name), and the seasons in which the competition was organized are given.
Tier Level |
FIBA Era |
ULEB Era |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st Tier |
FIBA FIBA Europe FIBA Europe is a zone within the International Basketball Federation which includes all 49 national European basketball federations.-Division A:-Division B: -Division C:... Euroleague 1958 to 1999-2000 FIBA FIBA Europe FIBA Europe is a zone within the International Basketball Federation which includes all 49 national European basketball federations.-Division A:-Division B: -Division C:... SuproLeague (Defunct) 2000-2001 |
ULEB ULEB ULEB was founded in 1991, with the aim to help in the cooperation and development of European professional club basketball leagues... Euroleague (Turkish Airlines Turkish Airlines Turkish Airlines is the national flag carrier airline of Turkey, headquartered in the Turkish Airlines General Management Building on the grounds of Atatürk Airport in Yeşilköy, Bakirköy district, Istanbul... Euroleague) 2000-2001 to present |
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2nd Tier |
FIBA FIBA Europe FIBA Europe is a zone within the International Basketball Federation which includes all 49 national European basketball federations.-Division A:-Division B: -Division C:... Saporta Cup Saporta Cup Saporta Cup was the name of the second-tier level European professional club basketball competition, where the National Cup winners from all over Europe played against each other. The competition was organized by FIBA Europe... (Defunct) 1966-1967 to 2001-2002 |
ULEB ULEB ULEB was founded in 1991, with the aim to help in the cooperation and development of European professional club basketball leagues... Eurocup 2002-2003 to present |
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3rd Tier |
FIBA FIBA Europe FIBA Europe is a zone within the International Basketball Federation which includes all 49 national European basketball federations.-Division A:-Division B: -Division C:... Korać Cup Korac Cup The Korać Cup was an annual basketball club competition held by FIBA between the 1971-72 and 2001-02 seasons. It was the third-tier level club competition in European basketball, after the European Champions' Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup... (Defunct) 1972 to 2001-2002 |
FIBA FIBA Europe FIBA Europe is a zone within the International Basketball Federation which includes all 49 national European basketball federations.-Division A:-Division B: -Division C:... EuroChallenge EuroChallenge The EuroChallenge is the 3rd tier level transnational men's professional club basketball competition in Europe. It is organized and run by FIBA Europe... 2003-2004 to present |
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4th Tier |
FIBA FIBA Europe FIBA Europe is a zone within the International Basketball Federation which includes all 49 national European basketball federations.-Division A:-Division B: -Division C:... EuroCup Challenge EuroCup Challenge The EuroCup Challenge was the 4th tier level transnational professional club basketball competition in Europe. It was run and organized by FIBA Europe.-Promotion to FIBA EuroCup:... (Defunct) 2002-2003 to 2006-2007 |
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