Format
Since the 2009–10 season, the Euroleague's first phase has been the Qualifying Rounds, which involve eight clubs bracketed into a knockout tournament consisting of two-legged matches. The four survivors of the First Qualifying Round are paired against one another for the Second Qualifying Round, with the two winners continuing in the Euroleague. All losing clubs in the Qualifying Rounds parachute into ULEB's second-tier Eurocup.
The next phase is the Regular Season, in which 24 teams participate; from 2009–10, the participants will include 22 clubs automatically entered into the Regular Season plus the two Qualifying Round winners. Each team plays two games (home-and-away) against every other team in its group. At the end of the Regular Season, the field is cut from 24 to 16. Before 2008–09, the teams were divided into three groups of eight teams each, with the top five teams in each group plus the top sixth-place finisher advancing. Now, the Regular Season involves four groups with six teams each, with the first four teams in each group advancing.
The second phase, known as the Top 16, then begins, featuring the 16 survivors of the Regular Season, drawn into four-team groups. As in the Regular Season, each Top 16 group is contested in a double round-robin format.
The third phase, the Quarterfinal round, has been played since the 2004–05 season. Before, only the group winners advanced to the Euroleague Final Four (see below). Now, the first- and second-place teams from each group advance. In the quarterfinal round, the first-place team from each group is matched against a second-place team from another group in a playoff series. Through the 2007–08 season, the series was best-of-three, and expanded to best-of-five for 2008–09. Home advantage in the series goes to the first-place team.
The Final Four, held at a predetermined site, features the winners of the four quarterfinal series in one-off knockout matches. The semifinal losers play for third place; the winners play for the championship.
The 2010 Final Four was held on May 7 and 9 at Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris. The 2011 Final Four was held at Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona.
For the 2012–13 Euroleague season the Top 16 was changed from four groups of four teams to two groups of eight teams. The four best teams in each group will go on the quarterfinals.
Read more about this topic: Euroleague