EuroLeague Final Four

The EuroLeague Final Four is the final four format championship of the European-wide top-tier level EuroLeague professional club basketball competition. The Euroleague Basketball Company used the final four format for the first time in 2002, following the 2001 FIBA SuproLeague Final Four, which was the last final four held by FIBA Europe. In the original FIBA Europe competition, as seen below, the final four was used for the first time at the 1966 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four. The final four format was used again the next year, with the 1967 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four, but was then abandoned.

The final four finally returned as the format of choice, for the first time during its modern era, with the 1988 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four. It is known as the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four for name sponsorship reasons. Panathinaikos has been the most successful team at the EuroLeague Final Four, since the modern final four era began in the 1987–88 season, winning the title 7 times (1996, 2000, 2002, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2024). Fenerbahçe Beko are the most recent winners, having clinched their second Final Four title in 2025.[1]

The EuroLeague Final Four is broadcast on TV in up to 213 countries and territories.[2]

History

Names of the Final Four

  • FIBA era (1958–2001):
    • FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four (1966–1967, 1988–1991)
    • FIBA European League Final Four ("FIBA EuroLeague Final Four") (1992–1996)
    • FIBA EuroLeague Final Four (1997–2000)[3]
    • FIBA SuproLeague Final Four (2001)
  • Euroleague Basketball era (since 2000):
    • Euroleague Final Four (2002–2016)
    • EuroLeague Final Four (since 2017)

Historical changes

The first time the EuroLeague used a Final Four format to decide its league champion, was at the conclusion of the 1965–66 and 1966–67 seasons, when it held the 1966 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four, and the 1967 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four. Those first two final fours were won by Simmenthal Milano (1966) and Real Madrid (1967). FIBA Europe did not use the final four format again until the 1987–88 season, when it held the 1988 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four, which was also won by Tracer Milano.

The EuroLeague Final Four has been held every year since, with FIBA Europe organizing it until 2001, and the Euroleague Basketball Company organizing it since 2002.

There were two separate competitions during the 2000–01 season. The SuproLeague, which was organized by FIBA, and the EuroLeague, which was organized by Euroleague Basketball Company. Euroleague Basketball Company's EuroLeague competition, in its inaugural year, used a playoff format, with the two professional teams from Bologna (Virtus and Fortitudo), AEK, and TAU reaching the tournament's semifinals. Virtus was the winner of the 2001 Euroleague Finals.

EuroLeague Final Four by season

Year Host city Champion Runner-up Third place Fourth place
FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four (early events)
1966 Bologna Simmenthal Milano Slavia VŠ Praha CSKA Moscow AEK
1967 Madrid Real Madrid Simmenthal Milano Slavia VŠ Praha AŠK Olimpija
FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four
1988 Ghent Tracer Milano Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv Partizan Aris
1989 Munich Jugoplastika Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv Aris FC Barcelona
1990 Zaragoza Jugoplastika FC Barcelona Banca Catalana Limoges CSP Aris
1991 Paris POP 84 FC Barcelona Banca Catalana Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv Scavolini Pesaro
FIBA European League Final Four
1992 Istanbul Partizan Montigalà Joventut Philips Milano Estudiantes Argentaria
1993 Piraeus Limoges CSP Benetton Treviso PAOK Real Madrid Teka
1994 Tel Aviv 7up Joventut Olympiacos Panathinaikos FC Barcelona Banca Catalana
1995 Zaragoza Real Madrid Teka Olympiacos Panathinaikos Limoges CSP
1996 Paris Panathinaikos FC Barcelona Banca Catalana CSKA Moscow Real Madrid Teka
FIBA EuroLeague Final Four
1997 Rome Olympiacos FC Barcelona Banca Catalana Smelt Olimpija ASVEL
1998 Barcelona Kinder Bologna AEK Benetton Treviso Partizan Zepter
1999 Munich Žalgiris Kinder Bologna Olympiacos Teamsystem Bologna
2000 Thessaloniki Panathinaikos Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv Efes Pilsen FC Barcelona
2001* 3-2 won Kinder Kinder Bologna Tau Cerámica AEK / Paf Bologna No third place game
FIBA SuproLeague Final Four
2001* Paris Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv Panathinaikos Efes Pilsen CSKA Moscow
Euroleague Final Four
2002 Bologna Panathinaikos Kinder Bologna Benetton Treviso Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv
2003 Barcelona FC Barcelona Benetton Treviso Montepaschi Siena CSKA Moscow
2004 Tel Aviv Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv Skipper Bologna CSKA Moscow Montepaschi Siena
2005 Moscow Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv Tau Cerámica Panathinaikos CSKA Moscow
2006 Prague CSKA Moscow Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv Tau Cerámica Winterthur FC Barcelona
2007 Athens Panathinaikos CSKA Moscow Unicaja Tau Cerámica
2008 Madrid CSKA Moscow Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv Montepaschi Siena Tau Cerámica
2009 Berlin Panathinaikos CSKA Moscow Regal FC Barcelona Olympiacos
2010 Paris Regal FC Barcelona Olympiacos CSKA Moscow Partizan
2011 Barcelona Panathinaikos Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv Montepaschi Siena Real Madrid
2012 Istanbul Olympiacos CSKA Moscow FC Barcelona Regal Panathinaikos
2013 London Olympiacos Real Madrid CSKA Moscow FC Barcelona Regal
2014 Milan Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv Real Madrid FC Barcelona CSKA Moscow
2015 Madrid Real Madrid Olympiacos CSKA Moscow Fenerbahçe
2016 Berlin CSKA Moscow Fenerbahçe Lokomotiv Kuban Laboral Kutxa
EuroLeague Final Four
2017 Istanbul Fenerbahçe Olympiacos CSKA Moscow Real Madrid
2018 Belgrade Real Madrid Fenerbahçe Doğuş Žalgiris CSKA Moscow
2019 Vitoria-Gasteiz CSKA Moscow Anadolu Efes Real Madrid Fenerbahçe
2020 Cologne
Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Cologne Anadolu Efes FC Barcelona AX Armani Exchange Milan CSKA Moscow
2022 Belgrade Anadolu Efes Real Madrid FC Barcelona Olympiacos
2023 Kaunas Real Madrid Olympiacos AS Monaco FC Barcelona
2024 Berlin Panathinaikos AKTOR Real Madrid Olympiacos Fenerbahçe
2025 Abu Dhabi Fenerbahçe AS Monaco Olympiacos Panathinaikos AKTOR

* The 2000–01 season was a transition year, with the best European teams split into two different major leagues, the SuproLeague 2000–01, held by FIBA, and the Euroleague 2000–01, held by Euroleague Basketball. That season's Euroleague Basketball tournament, the Euroleague 2000–01 season, did not end with a Final Four tournament. Instead, it ended with a 5-game playoff series. The EuroLeague now officially recognizes both the 2001 FIBA SuproLeague, and the 2001 Euroleague, in its statistics.

Statistics

Performance by club

  • Including original FIBA European Champions Cup and EuroLeague Final Four competitions.
Club 1st

(Champion)

2nd (Finalist) 3rd 4th Total
Real Madrid 11 10 2 7 30
CSKA Moscow 8 6 8 8 30
Panathinaikos 7 1 3 2 13
Maccabi Tel Aviv 6 9 1 4 20
Olympiacos 3 6 3 2 14
Split[a] 3 3
FC Barcelona 2 5 4 6 17
Fenerbahçe 2 2 3 7
Virtus Bologna[b] 2 2 4
Anadolu Efes 2 1 2 5
Olimpia Milano[c] 2 1 2 5
Joventut Badalona 1 1 2
Partizan 1 1 2 4
Limoges CSP 1 1 1 3
Žalgiris 1 1 2
Treviso[d] 2 2 4
Baskonia[e] 2 1 3 6
AS Monaco 1 1 2
AEK 1 1 2
Fortitudo Bologna[f] 1 1 2
Slavia VŠ Praha 1 1 2
Mens Sana 1871[g] 3 1 4
Olimpija 1 1 2
Aris 1 2 3
PAOK 1 1
Málaga[h] 1 1
Lokomotiv Kuban 1 1
Victoria Libertas[i] 1 1
Estudiantes 1 1
ASVEL 1 1
Total 40 40 39 39 158

Performance by nation

  • Including original FIBA European Champions Cup and EuroLeague Final Four competitions.
Nation (Domestic League) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
Greece (GBL) 10 8 8 7 33
Spain (LEB / ACB) 7 11 7 14 40
Israel (ISBL) 4 6 1 1 12
Russia (RSL / PBL / VTB) 4 3 7 6 20
Turkey (BSL) 4 3 2 3 12
SFR Yugoslavia (FFBL) 4 2 1 7
Italy (LBA) 3 6 7 3 19
France (Pro A) 1 1 2 2 6
Lithuania (LKL) 1 1 2
Czechoslovakia (CSBL) 1 1 2
Soviet Union (PBL) 1 1
Slovenia (SKL) 1 1
Serbia (ABA/KLS) 1 1
Total 37 37 37 37 148

Opening press conference venues

Year Venue Host city Country
2008 Community of Madrid Sports Centre Madrid Spain
2009 O2 World Berlin Germany
2010 Hôtel de Ville Paris France
2011 Gothic Quarter (City hall) Barcelona Spain
2012 Çırağan Palace Istanbul Turkey
2013 London City Hall London England
2014 Piazza del Duomo Milan Italy
2015 Cybele Palace Madrid Spain
2016 Alexanderplatz Berlin Germany
2017 Çırağan Palace Istanbul Turkey
2018 Kalemegdan Fortress Belgrade Serbia
2019 Plaza Nueva Vitoria-Gasteiz Spain
2020
Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

EuroLeague Final Four MVPs

Season Final Four MVP Club Ref.
Bob McAdoo Tracer Milano
Dino Rađa Jugoplastika
Toni Kukoč Jugoplastika
Toni Kukoč (2) POP 84
Sasha Danilović Partizan
Toni Kukoč (3) Benetton Treviso
Žarko Paspalj Olympiacos
Arvydas Sabonis Real Madrid Teka
Dominique Wilkins Panathinaikos
David Rivers Olympiacos
Zoran Savić Kinder Bologna
Tyus Edney Žalgiris
Željko Rebrača Panathinaikos
Ariel McDonald Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv
Dejan Bodiroga Panathinaikos
Dejan Bodiroga (2) FC Barcelona
Anthony Parker Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv
Šarūnas Jasikevičius Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv
Theo Papaloukas CSKA Moscow
Dimitris Diamantidis Panathinaikos
Trajan Langdon CSKA Moscow
Vassilis Spanoulis Panathinaikos
Juan Carlos Navarro Regal FC Barcelona
Dimitris Diamantidis (2) Panathinaikos
Vassilis Spanoulis (2) Olympiacos
Vassilis Spanoulis (3) Olympiacos
Tyrese Rice Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv
Andrés Nocioni Real Madrid
Nando de Colo CSKA Moscow
Ekpe Udoh Fenerbahçe
Luka Dončić Real Madrid
Will Clyburn CSKA Moscow
Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
Vasilije Micić Anadolu Efes
Vasilije Micić (2) Anadolu Efes
Edy Tavares Real Madrid
Kostas Sloukas Panathinaikos AKTOR
Nigel Hayes-Davis Fenerbahçe

EuroLeague All-Final Four Team

EuroLeague Final Four records

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Playing under the name of "Jugoplastika" and "POP 84" due to sponsorship reasons.
  2. ^ Playing under the name of "Kinder Bologna" due to sponsorship reasons.
  3. ^ Playing under the name of "Tracer Milano", "Philips Milano" and "AX Armani Exchange Milan" due to sponsorship reasons.
  4. ^ Playing under the name of "Benetton Treviso" due to sponsorship reasons.
  5. ^ Playing under the name of "Tau Cerámica" and "Laboral Kutxa" due to sponsorship reasons.
  6. ^ Playing under the name of "Teamsystem Bologna" and "Skipper Bologna" due to sponsorship reasons.
  7. ^ Playing under the name of "Montepaschi Siena" due to sponsorship reasons.
  8. ^ Playing under the name of "Unicaja" due to sponsorship reasons.
  9. ^ Playing under the name of "Scavolini Pesaro" due to sponsorship reasons.

References

  1. ^ https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/fenerbahce-crowned-2025-champion-with-70-81-win-over-monaco/
  2. ^ Record broadcast reach for 2017 Final Four!
  3. ^ The European Cup For Men's Champion Clubs – The Early Years
  4. ^ European club champions: 1958-2014.
  5. ^ Nocioni named bwin MVP of Euroleague Final Four.
  6. ^ De Colo celebrates title as Final Four MVP.
  7. ^ Udoh caps historic Final Four with MVP award.
  8. ^ Doncic chosen Final Four MVP.
  9. ^ Will Clyburn, CSKA: 'Heart had to carry me'.
  10. ^ Micic is chosen Final Four MVP
  11. ^ Micic repeats as Final Four MVP!
  12. ^ "Edy Tavares named EuroLeague Final Four MVP".
  13. ^ "Kostas Sloukas is the Final Four MVP | EuroLeague". Euroleague Basketball. 2024-05-26. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
  14. ^ "Final Four MVP: Nigel Hayes-Davis, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | EuroLeague". Euroleague Basketball. 2025-05-25. Retrieved 2025-05-25.