The NBA has not announced a completed purchase of EuroLeague. EuroLeague owners are reportedly scheduled to meet on October 5 to consider a possible NBA acquisition offer alongside their own expansion strategy. The decision could determine whether NBA Europe develops through the existing competition or enters a market where EuroLeague continues independently.
La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the meeting will take place in Cernobbio, on Lake Como, and that a potential offer could follow the NBA’s upcoming Board of Governors meeting. L’Équipe, which says a European source confirmed the meeting, describes the possible transaction as the NBA buying a stake in EuroLeague. The ownership terms have not been disclosed. La Gazzetta dello Sport, L’Équipe
EuroLeague already has an expansion plan
EuroLeague’s board reaffirmed in June that it intends to expand to 24 teams for 2027-28. It also approved Real Madrid’s ten-year license extension. The NBA is therefore negotiating with a competition that is already securing clubs and planning further expansion. EuroLeague’s June board announcement
On August 25, EuroLeague said it was evaluating applicants for up to eight new long-term franchises. Eleven proposals had progressed to the next stage, with binding offers representing almost €700 million in combined franchise fees and expected investment exceeding €3.2 billion over five years. The applicants still faced further review before final approval. EuroLeague’s August expansion update
Those figures describe prospective investors entering EuroLeague’s own franchise system. They are not a reported NBA purchase price. Nor do eight potential franchise awards necessarily mean eight additional teams: EuroLeague explicitly said existing EuroLeague and EuroCup clubs were among the applicants.
EuroLeague is weighing an NBA partnership while pursuing its own plans for longer-term membership and investment. Expansion determines participation in the competition; a possible sale concerns ownership of the competition itself.
What could change for clubs and qualification?
NBA Europe’s published plan calls for 16 teams: 12 permanent franchises and four annual qualifiers, with a targeted fall 2027 launch. NBA.com’s project update
FIBA’s announced framework would give teams in affiliated European domestic leagues an annual qualification route through the Basketball Champions League or an end-of-season tournament. Clubs would therefore have a route into the European competition through results, alongside the permanent places. The framework also calls for coordination with domestic leagues and national-team schedules. NBA and FIBA’s qualification framework
An agreement with EuroLeague would require those plans to be reconciled with EuroLeague’s existing commitments. The published 16-team NBA Europe model and 24-team EuroLeague expansion target describe separate projects; neither establishes the size or membership of a combined competition.
For a club with a permanent place, the practical issue is whether that membership carries into any new arrangement. For a club seeking entry through results, it is which competition provides access and how many qualifying places remain. The reported acquisition discussions have not supplied those answers.
What remains unresolved before October 5
L’Équipe reports that accepting an NBA offer could allow NBA Europe to be built through EuroLeague. But without disclosed terms, fans cannot yet know the NBA’s ownership percentage, the division of decision-making power or the final competition format. L’Équipe
EuroLeague has approved a September 24 start for its 2026-27 season, before the reported owners’ meeting. A potential ownership deal does not amount to an announced change to clubs’ fixtures or qualification rules for that season. EuroLeague’s approved calendar