Top 10 countries in European basketball competitions
There are 4 different European Basketball Competitions: Euroleague, EuroCup, Basketball Champions League and FIBA Europe Cup and many teams are involved in the race for a European trophy. But, which countries have the most teams involved and the best chances to get a trophy at the end of the next season? I will present the top 10 countries according to the number of teams involved in those competitions.
10. Here we have 7 countries with 2 teams each: Belarus (Tsmoki Minsk and Borisfen), Cyprus (Petrolina AEK, Kervanos), Holland (Donar Groningen, Heroes Den Bosch), Latvia (VEF Riga, Ventspils), Montenegro (Mornar Bar, Buducnost VOLI), Portugal (Sporting Lisboa, Benfica) and Serbia (Crvena Zvezda and Partizan Belgrade) with 2 teams each.
9. Bulgaria (Levski Lukoil, Beroe, BC Balkan), Hungary (Falco Szombathely, Egis Kormend, Szolnoki), Romania (U- BT Cluj Napoca, CSU Sibiu, CSM Oradea) and Ukraine (Kyiv Basket, Prometey, BC Dnipro) has 3 teams each.
8. Here we have Belgium (Antwerp Giants, Belfius Mons, Filou Oostende, Hubo Limburg) and Poland (Start Lublin, Anwil Wloclawek, Stal Ostrow, Gliwice) with 4 teams.
7. Germany (ALBA Berlin, Bayern Munchen, Ulm, Brose Bamberg, Gottingen) and Lithuania (Zalgiris Kaunas, Lietkabelis, Rytas Vilnius, Neptunas, Juventus) are on the seventh position with 5 teams each.
6. Israel (Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Jerusalem, Hapoel Holon, Maccabi Rishon, Ironi Nes Ziona) with 6 teams.
5. From Greece, we have 7 teams – Panathinaikos Athens, Olympiacos Piraeus, Promitheas, Peristeri, AEK Athens, Aris Thessaloniki, Iraklis
4. Russia is sending 8 teams for the 2020-2021 season – CSKA Moscow, Khimki Moscow, Zenit St. Petersburg, Unics Kazan, Lokomotiv Kuban, Nizhny Novgorod, Parma and Enisey.
3. On third position we have France and Italy with 10 teams each. From France we have ASVEL Lyon, AS Monaco, Boulogne, JL Bourg, Nanterre, Strasbourg, Dijon, Limoges, Cholet and Elan Chalon. From Italy – Armani Milano, Virtus Bologna, Germani Brescia, Dolomiti Trento, Umana Reyer Venice, Dinamo Sassari, Happy Casa Brindisi, Fortitudo Bologna, Reggio Emilia and Trieste.
2. On the second place we have Turkey, who send in the European Competitions 11 teams: Anadolu Efes, Fenerbahce Istanbul, Bahcesehir Koleji, Bursaspor, Galatasaray, Tofas Bursa, Darussafaka, Turk Telekom, Pinar Karsiyaka, Besiktas and Ormanspor.
1. Our champion is Spain with 12 teams, including 4 in Euroleague. The teams are: Barcelona Lassa, Real Madrid, Baskonia, Valencia, Gran Canaria, Joventut Badalona, Morabanc Andorra, Unicaja Malaga, Iberostar Tenerife, Zaragoza, San Pablo Burgos and Retabet Bilbao.
Image: Basketball Champions League
Bogdan Vasile Tirc
