The second edition of the Next Gen U19 femminile tournament began on Thursday bringing the top Under 19 youth basketball teams in Italy together in Battipaglia, Federazione Italiana Pallacanestro reported.
Matches across the opening day unfolded across two primary local venues, the PalaZauli and the Tensostruttura di Battipaglia. Organizers arranged live streaming coverage for supporters through the official Italbasket YouTube channel, alongside live boxscores and statistics tracked via FIP Stats.
Twelve clubs participate in the national youth championship, competing in a single round-robin group phase spread across four distinct stages before the final bracket. Each team plays eleven total matches against every opponent in the league.
The regular season calendar features the first stage spanning four days from November 12 to November 15, 2026, in Battipaglia. Subsequent regular season legs are scheduled for December 27 to December 29, 2026, and February 11 to February 14, 2027.
Following the third stage, league officials will finalize the regular season standings. The top eight teams will advance to the Final Event, scheduled for May 14 to May 16, 2027, to determine final placements from first to eighth place through quarterfinals, semifinals, and placement matches.
The competing field features automatic qualifiers alongside participants determined by national rankings. GEAS Basket Academy enters the competition as the reigning champion after winning the previous Next Gen 25/26 title alongside the Next Gen Team.
Ranked participants rounding out the twelve-team field include Umana Reyer Venezia, Basket Costa, Futurosa Trieste, Magnolia Basket Campobasso, Polisportiva Battipagliese, Basket Roma, San Gabriele Basket, Lupe San Martino, Faenza Basket Project, and BCC Derthona Basket Castelnuovo Scrivia.
Competition at the opening Battipaglia stage continues through November 15, 2026. Governing bodies will announce host venues for the December and February stages, as well as the May 2027 Final Event, in the coming weeks.
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