Four Italian clubs will feature in the Euroleague from the 2027-28 season under a major expansion plan submitted for board approval.
Maxima Roma will secure a permanent license alongside Olimpia Milano, according to reporting by gazzetta.it. The proposal goes before the board of the 13 shareholder clubs before the end of the month.
The league expansion will lift total participating teams from 20 to 24, and later to 28 teams. Italy and Spain will emerge as the most heavily represented countries in the continental competition.
Virtus Bologna and Napoli will receive three-year wild card entries. Virtus currently holds a temporary license expiring in 2028, while Napoli joins the top tier after sustained upward momentum in domestic play.
Both wild card recipients hold priority status for permanent licenses during a subsequent expansion phase slated for 2030, which will expand the competition to 28 teams, gazzetta.it reported.
Existing shareholder clubs will transition to permanent franchise status without incurring additional fees.
New franchises joining the competition will pay entrance fees ranging between 50 and 90 million euros. Goldelnapoli.it noted those payments will generate roughly 400 million euros in total revenue, distributing about 30 million euros to each of the 13 existing shareholder clubs.
Out of the ten names chosen for the initial expansion from 20 to 24 teams starting next season, the remaining slots feature two places reserved for teams qualifying through the Eurocup. The new permanent franchises comprise Valencia, Paris Basketball, Dubai, Maxima Roma, Hapoel Tel Aviv, and PAOK Thessaloniki, while the wild card entries consist of Partizan Belgrade, Crvena Zvezda, Virtus Bologna, and Napoli.
The Euroleague expansion moves forward independently of ongoing discussions with the NBA regarding a potential European league. While NBA officials previously indicated willingness to negotiate before franchise transitions took effect, this month’s board vote represents a decisive junction for European club basketball.
Under the NBA Europe project, the 16-team setup including 12 permanent licenses envisions two franchises in Italy located in Milan and Rome. Current favorites for that project include a RedBird initiative alongside Varese, and BC Roma led by Donnie Nelson and Luka Doncic, with the latter also applying to the alternative competition.
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