NBA Europe: 12 permanent clubs & 4 teams "selected on sporting merit"

George Aivazoglou, senior vice president and managing director of the National Basketball Association for Europe and the Middle East, has announced the host cities and countries of the permanent franchises that will play in NBA Europe, which "is scheduled to launch in October 2027," according to a report by Gazzetta dello Sport on the sidelines of the Football Business Forum event held in Milan (ITA) on 07/11/2025.

The cities involved are "London and Manchester for the United Kingdom, Paris and Lyon for France, Madrid and Barcelona for Spain, Berlin and Munich for Germany, Milan and Rome for Italy, as well as a team in Athens and one in Istanbul, in order to respect values such as history and tradition," said George Aivazoglou, outlining the project to create a European men's league led by the NBA and FIBA, unveiled for the first time by the two parties on 27/03/2025.

In addition to the 12 permanent teams, there will be four teams "selected on sporting merit: one from the Basketball Champions League (BCL) organised by FIBA, our partner, and three others from national leagues". NBA…