The Final Four of the Euroleague basketball, a tournament played by the four best teams in the tournament to decide the continental champion, will be held in 2025 in Abu Dhabi, reported a source close to the case, confirming information from the Greek media SDNA.
It will be the first time in history that the Final Four is played outside of European territory, except for the editions held in Israel, with Maccabi Tel Aviv being one of the 13 founding clubs of the Euroleague.
According to various media, only Real Madrid and the Greek Olympiacos voted against the decision.
The signing of the contract between the Euroleague and the sports marketing agency IMG and the emirate of Abu Dhabi is still pending for the transfer of the competition to be made official, the same source reported.
Abu Dhabi will for the moment only organize the 2025 edition, for whose organization Belgrade had also applied.
The semifinals of the European tournament are scheduled for May 23, 2025 and two days later the match for third place and the grand final will be played.
The Final Four should be played at the Etihad Arena, a venue that has already hosted several NBA preseason games and two preparation matches for the Paris Games of the American team, last July.
This decision is part of the Euroleague expansion project in the United Arab Emirates, a country that has been investing immense amounts of money in recent years to attract prominent sporting events such as a Formula 1 Grand Prix and Mixed Martial Arts combats, as well as of basketball.
In this policy of growth towards new markets, the Euroleague does not even rule out integrating a franchise based in the UAE, first in the Eurocup, the second most important continental tournament.
«Abu Dhabi represents a first step in this new region, but it remains to be determined whether this can lead to other activities in the Middle East. This first experience will serve to obtain elements that will be useful for future discussions,” this source close to the negotiations told AFP.
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