After 24 years, Alba Berlin leaves the cosmos of the Euroleague. It is a big sporting step backwards that should be the first step towards NBA Europe in the medium term. Jakob Lobach on a risky fundamental decision.
In the end, there were exactly eight words and eight numbers with which Alba Berlin provided clarity. “Alba Berlin will play in the Basketball Champions League in 2025/2026 – that was only short but meaningful heading on Alba’s homepage on Wednesday afternoon. What had already been speculated in the past few months became a reality: Alba will no longer appear on the parquet of the Euroleague, the Beletage of the European Basketball.
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24 years in Euroleague cosmos
Alba Berlin most recently played in the Euroleague cosmos for 24 years. The Eurocup also includes the second highest division in Europe. The fact that Alba has recently decided voluntarily for the third-class Champions League after six seasons with duels against Real Madrid, Fenerbahce Istanbul and Co.
Five victories from 34 games was the sobering record at the end of Alba’s last Euroleague season. In addition: by far the lowest budget of all clubs, the clearly weakest squad, which clearly does not mean. It was not for the first time in younger years at the end of these sporty chain reactions the question of whether the Berliners in the Euroleague are still welcome.
So it was surprising when the RBB was reported, that the Euroleague Alba offered another license and a starting place in April – But once again only temporary. Instead of offering the permanent license that has often been promised since 2019 and thus shares in the income of the league, the Euroleague demanded five million euros for a three -year starting law without financial participations. The large, communal money was reserved for the 13 fixed Euroleague starters.
“Of course we discussed this internally, but it was practically clear that we would not do that,” said Alba managing director Marco Baldi on Wednesday in an interview with RBB | 24.
An ungrateful offer in uncertain times
According to his information, there is a great, overarching uncertainty for the sparse sporting performance and the financial demands. “There is neither one for all clubs Faires nor a common concept in the Euroleague, where you want to go in the long term,” says Baldi. Since the North American NBA has announced that he wanted to start a European offshoot of the world’s best basketball league promptly, there has been more chaos in European basketball. According to reports, numerous established Euroleague clubs are considerably hesitating to extend their A licenses that expired in 2026.
The fact that the so -called NBA Europe is to be built together with the World Association Fiba – the great enemy of the privately organized Euroleague – is playing a key role for Alba’s step into the Champions League. Finally, this is also organized by the FIBA. Alba’s exit from the Euroleague cosmos is undoubtedly a step towards the NBA.
It is an early application letter to a league that would have the potential to become the largest in Europe. At the same time, the subjunctive is important here because the league does not yet exist. Their size, structure, the starting requirements for interested clubs – all of this is currently even more legendary than defined.
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Via the Champions League in the NBA Europe?
“We know very well what is being discussed,” said Baldi on Wednesday, “but we don’t know exactly, with what result.” The fact is that after the farewell from Euroleague and Eurocup, Alba will do a lot to stay in the NBA Europe. Because sporty, the Champions League is not only for miles away from the Euroleague, but also below the Eurocup.
Even against the background of the inequalities in the Euroleague, the less royal premier class Alba should only appeal to a limited extent in the long term. On the one hand, the Berliners will suddenly be a title favorite in the Champions League as perhaps the biggest name of the league next season. On the other hand, AEK Athens is not Panathinaikos Athens and FMP Belgrade not partizan Belgrade.
“It is completely clear that Panathinaikos or Real Madrid are much more sonorous names,” says Albas Baldi. To what extent it will be possible to inspire Alba’s fans for small -sounding teams. It is already clear that Alba expect a maximum of eight home games in the Champions League compared to the 17 of the Euroleague. This will reduce the high -speed hall rental for the Uber Arena, but also the income from ticket sales and match day sponsorship.
We decided on the way that is the most perspective for us.
Long -term hopes instead of short -term planning
The coming summer will show how all this in turn – in combination with the important, soon missing incentive to the Euroleague – will show the coming summer. A few years ago, Alba marked the Bamberg Baskets the worst-case scenario. They switched from the Euroleague to the Champions League in summer 2018 and have been in a sporty and financial downward spiral since then, which she last led to the Bundesliga table cellar.
On the other hand, the Bambergers also had to fight with an increasingly stingy investor and not hope for participating in a European NBA. How forming this in Alba’s decision was in favor of the Champions League, in conversation with Marco Baldi again and again on Wednesday – among other things in his conclusion: “We did not make a short -term decision, we decided on the way that is the most perspective for us.”
Broadcast: RBB24, 07.05.2025, 9:45 p.m.
