Olympiacos can win tonight the EuroLeague title in OAKA
The 2026 EuroLeague Final will be played on Sunday evening in the Telekom Arena in Athens between Olympiacos and Real Madrid. It will be a rematch of the 2023 Final in Kaunas when the Spanish team clinched the trophy with a dramatic 79-78 win after Sergio Llull hit a heroic mid-range jumper with just seconds left on the clock. That shot secured the 11th EuroLeague title in the history of Real, and while the blancos played another final the next year against Panathinaikos, they are still waiting for their 12th success.
The final two teams that played against each other was in 2013, the last time Olympiacos lifted the EuroLeague trophy. It was not as balanced in the end as the final from 3 years ago, but it was also a game to remember: the team from the Spanish capital was leading by 17 points after the 1st quarter, but the Reds made a huge comeback and won the game 100-88, behind 22 points from the legendary Vassilis Spanoulis.
Before the modern EuroLeague era, the two teams played another final in 1995, when Arvydas Sabonis scored 23 points to help Real defeat Olympiacos 73-61.
Getting back to this year’s Final Four, Olympiacos beat Fenerbahce in the first semifinal on Friday. It was an impressive performance, especially on the defensive end for the Greek team, which held the defending EuroLeague champions to just 41 points in the first three quarters, and they won all four quarters and the game with a final score of 79-61.
The other semifinal was more spectacular for the neutral fans, with a very high-scoring first half. Madrid entered the halftime break with a 62-56 lead, and they ended up winning 105-90. Unfortunately for Real, Usman Garuba left the game with an injury, and they will need to play the Final without a real center, as Edy Tavares and Alex Len are also out with injuries. This could be a huge disadvantage against Olympiacos, which has some very prolific big men.
With the current situation, Olympiacos is the huge favourite to win the title game, and it would be extra special for its fans as the Final Four is played on the home court of their archrivals, Panathinaikos.
Imre Halasz
Photo credit: EuroLeague
