Stating the obvious: why is there always a place for 12 EuroLeague clubs?
The lineup of the EuroLeague basketball is more or less the same from year to year, because the top league of the Old World has many clubs with an A-license, which do not have to fear relegation.
Although the title states the number 12, there are actually 13 teams with an A-license. The membership of one of them – CSKA Moscow – has been suspended indefinitely due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but since the CEO of the EuroLeague is Lithuanian Paulius Motiejunas and the A-license clubs also include Žalgiris Kaunas, it will take some time for CSKA to return.
Alongside the honour and pride of Lithuanian club basketball, Istanbul clubs Anadolu Efes and Fenerbahce, Villeurbanne’s ASVEL, Greek giants Olympiacos and Panathinaikos Athens, Milan’s Olimpia, Tel Aviv’s Maccabi, Bayern Munich, and Spanish teams Baskonia, Barcelona, and Real Madrid are all guaranteed a place in the EuroLeague.
It is worth noting that the last A-licenses were distributed in 2021. ASVEL received it in February, and Bayern in June.
The A-license is a hot commodity
The remaining six clubs can get a spot in the EuroLeague for various reasons. Paris is in this year thanks to winning the EuroCup last season and should they reach the play-offs in the top league, their place is assured for next season.
Monaco has stayed in the league in exactly the same way in recent years. The club, which struggled to the top with the help of the wallets of Ukrainian and Russian oligarchs, won the EuroCup in 2021 and has finished in the top eight every season after reaching the EuroLeague.
The remaining four clubs are in the EuroLeague thanks to free passes. These were given to ALBA Berlin, Belgrade giants Partizan and Crvena Zvezda and the former strongest club in the Old World, Bologna Virtus.
Of course, free passes do not offer clubs much security, and Monaco does not want to rely on reaching the playoffs every season. That is why the A-license is a hot commodity and Monaco, Partizan, Zvezda and ALBA openly covet it. There is no doubt that there are others behind the scenes who are willing to spend a lot of money to get an A-license.
Last June, it was revealed that the current 13 A-license holders will remain in the EuroLeague until 2040. It is important to note that the A-license is not set in stone. If a club wants to give it up, it will have to pay the EuroLeague at least ten million euros.
It is unclear how expensive it will be to kick a team out by the league. The Russian invasion of Ukraine brought this issue to the agenda for CSKA, but since the Moscow club is still in limbo, it can be concluded that the league’s revocation of an A-license is either prohibited by the rules or so damn expensive that no one wants to pay it.
Money, money, money
The A-license is important for clubs in several ways. First, it strengthens their budget, because not all teams earn prize money. For example, last season it was distributed to the 14 strongest clubs, with Žalgiris earning 170,000 euros in the last place and champion Panathinaikos 1.75 million euros.
However, the A-license ensures that even if a club is not among the top 14, they will be supported financially. This is in the form of television money, and there is a rule that every team with an A-license must receive at least 1.5 million euros from the EuroLeague during the season, even if their TV-contract is less than this amount. The difference is paid by other A-license clubs.
It is stipulated that every club with an A-license must give part of the money received from the sale of TV rights to the EuroCup. The amount – for example, last year it was 600,000 euros – is distributed among the teams, it is not a big blow to anyone. For top clubs, it is just a drop in the ocean, and Žalgiris is probably not crying about that money either.
By the way, when it comes to TV money, the teams do not get the whole amount. In 2023, the Greek press revealed that, for example, Maccabi’s TV-contract with the EuroLeague was worth six million euros, but the Israeli giant got 4.1 million from it. The rest of the money goes to the EuroLeague, which uses it to stay afloat, tries to popularize the series, helps the EuroCup, etc.
A-license makes one heard
Perhaps more important than money is the fact that clubs with an A-license are part of the EuroLeague’s owners. This means that they can have a say in the management of the series and have the right to decide on many issues.
One of these is, for example, the choice of the host of the top event of each season – the final tournament played with the participation of the four best teams. This issue came to the fore at the end of last year, because while in November the clubs preferred the basketball-loving Serbian capital Belgrade, in December it was revealed that the Final Four would be moved to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
Allegedly, only two clubs were against the plan: Olympiacos and Real. The rest probably decided in favor of Abu Dhabi, because they were willing to pay a whopping 50 million euros for the hosting rights.
In addition, the A-license gives the opportunity to decide who gets free passes, who runs the EuroLeague’s parent company, etc.
Finally, it cannot be ignored that a major change may occur in European club basketball in the coming years. Namely, there has been a lot of talk lately about the NBA and the International Basketball Federation FIBA creating a new series in the Old World, where the Americans will have the upper hand.
As Abu Dhabi’s selection to host the final tournament showed, money makes the teams go round.
