FIBA Europe Cup

The FIBA Europe Cup (FEC)[1] is an annual professional club basketball competition organised by FIBA for eligible European clubs. It is FIBA's second level competition. Clubs mainly qualify based on their performance in national leagues and cup competitions, although this is not the sole deciding factor. The winner is decided by a two-legged final.

FIBA Europe Cup
Founded30 June 2015; 8 years ago (2015-06-30)
First season2015–16
RegionEurope
ConfederationFIBA Europe
Number of teams32 (regular season)
48 (total)
Level on pyramid2
Promotion toChampions League
Current championsGermany Niners Chemnitz
(1st title)
Most championships8 teams (1 title)
TV partnersYouTube (live streaming)
WebsiteFIBA.basketball/europecup
2023–24 FIBA Europe Cup

The league was founded in 2015 as a replacement of the FIBA EuroChallenge.

History

Scene of the first leg of the 2017 FIBA Europe Cup Final

On June 30, 2015, FIBA announced it would start a new league to compete with Euroleague Basketball's EuroCup.[2] The new competition, which replaced EuroChallenge, was supposed to be open for up to 100 teams to enter.[2] A former 4th-tier FIBA competition, the FIBA EuroCup Challenge, was named as FIBA Europe Cup between 2003 and 2005.

The 2015–16 FIBA Europe Cup attracted 16 domestic champions and 8 runners-up including KK Cibona, Pallacanestro Cantu, ASVEL, Pallacanestro Varese, CEZ Nymburk, BK Ventspils, PBC Academic and Krka. The first FIBA Europe Cup game was played on October 21, 2015, when Donar Groningen beat Egis Körmend 78–71. Frankfurt Skyliners won the 1st edition in a Final Four tournament and represented Europe in the 2016 FIBA Intercontinental Cup, following the FIBA-EuroLeague dispute. In the 2016–17 season, FIBA started the Basketball Champions League and since then teams from the Champions League can be transferred to the Europe Cup through their position.

Format

Tournament

The tournament proper begins with a regular season of 32 teams, divided into eight groups. Seeding is used whilst making the draw for this stage, whilst teams from the same country may not be drawn into groups together. Each team meets the others in its group in home and away games, in a round-robin format. The winning team and runner-up from each group then progress to the second round with 16 teams divided into four groups. Each team meets the others in its group in home and away games, in a round-robin format.[3]

For the play-offs, the winning team and runner-up from each group join them and play a two-legged format. Until 2019, the fifth-placed teams and sixth-placed teams were dropped from the Basketball Champions League regular season. The regular season is usually played from October to December and the second round is played from December to January, whilst the play-offs start in February.[3]

Finals

The Finals were played in either a Final Four tournament format or with a two-legged series.

YearFinalSemifinalists
ChampionScoreSecond placeThird placeScoreFourth place
2015–16
Details

Fraport Skyliners
66–62
Openjobmetis Varese

Élan Chalon
103–72
Enisey
2016–17
Details

Nanterre 92
140–137
(58–58 / 82–79)

Élan Chalon
Telekom Baskets Bonn and Telenet Oostende
2017–18
Details

Umana Reyer Venezia
158–148
(69–77 / 81–79)

Sidigas Avellino
Donar and Bakken Bears
2018–19
Details

Banco di Sardegna Sassari
170–163
(89–84 / 81–79)

s.Oliver Würzburg
Hapoel Holon and OpenjobMetis Varese
2019–20
Details
Curtailed and voided due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe[4][5]Semi-finalists: Bahçeşehir Koleji, Bakken Bears,
medi Bayreuth and Pınar Karşıyaka
2020–21
Details

Ironi Nes Ziona
82–74
Arged BMSLAM Stal

CSM Oradea
85–76
Parma
2021–22
Details

Bahçeşehir Koleji
162–143
(72–69 / 90–74)

UnaHotels Reggio Emilia
Bakken Bears and ZZ Leiden
2022–23
Details

Anwil Włocławek
161–155
(81–77 / 80–78)

Cholet
Kalev/Cramo and Karhu
2023–24
Details

Niners Chemnitz
180–179
(85–74 / 95–105)

Bahçeşehir Koleji
Itelyum Varese and Surne Bilbao Basket

Performance by club

Map of countries, teams from which have reached the regular season of the FIBA Europe Cup.
  FIBA member country that has been represented in the regular season
  FIBA member country that has been represented in the qualifying rounds
  Not represented

A total number of 140 clubs from 38 FIBA member countries have participated in the competition. The competition has been won by eight clubs from seven different countries.

Teams from Italy have been most successful, as two teams won the title and three other teams finished as runners-up.

Club
WinnersRunners-upYears wonYears runner-up
Bahçeşehir Koleji1120222024
Skyliners Frankfurt102016
Nanterre 92102017
Reyer Venezia102018
Dinamo Sassari102019
Ironi Nes Ziona102021
Anwil Włocławek102023
Niners Chemnitz102024
Varese012016
Élan Chalon012017
Felice Scandone012018
Würzburg012019
Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski012021
Reggiana012022
Cholet Basket012023

Statistics

All-time leaders

Statistics as of 11 June 2022.

Players in bold were active in the most recent FIBA Europe Cup season.[6]

Points

RankPlayerNationPointsGamesPer gameYearsClub(s)
1Michel Diouf[7]  SEN9317612.32015–Bakken Bears
2Trae Golden  USA8975117.62015–ETHA Engomis, ESSM Le Portel, Avtodor, Bahçeşehir Koleji
3Darko Jukić  DEN7287111.82015–Bakken Bears
4Worthy de Jong  NED7825114.32015–2022ZZ Leiden
5Ryan Evans  USA6164612.42018–Bakken Bears

Rebounds

RankPlayerNationReboundsGamesPer gameYearsClub(s)
1Michel Diouf  SEN463736.32015–Bakken Bears
2Tony Taylor  USA318368.82016–Enisey, Karşıyaka
3Darko Jukić  DEN308744.22015–Bakken Bears
4Željko Šakić  CRO291426.92015–2022Cluj-Napoca, Avtodor
5Thomas Koenis  NED279525.42015–2022ZZ Leiden, Donar

Assists

RankPlayerNationAssistsGamesPer gameYearsClub(s)
1Trae Golden  USA298515.82015–ETHA Engomis, ESSM Le Portel, Avtodor, Bahçeşehir Koleji
2John Roberson  USA318368.82016–Élan Chalon, ASVEL, Enisey
3Adama Darboe  DEN229603.82015–Bakken Bears
4Worthy de Jong  NED208514.12015–2022ZZ Leiden
5Tony Taylor  USA188498.82016–Enisey, Karşıyaka

Single game records

Category
Efficiency Chase Fieler46
Points John Roberson39
Spencer Butterfield
Rebounds Willie Cauley-Stein20
Assists Teemu Rannikko
18
Steals Kim Adams9
Blocks Dejan Kravić6
Janar Talts
Three-pointers Spencer Butterfield11

Source: FIBA Europe Cup As of 2 May 2017.

Awards

Quantez Robertson was the FIBA Europe Cup Final Four MVP in 2016.

After each round, the FIBA Europe Cup awards the "Top Performer" honour to the best player of the given round. In its inaugural season , in 2016, the competition had a Final Four MVP award for the best player of its final four. The final four format was later abandoned in favor of playoffs with two-legged finals. Since 2020, the league awards a Final MVP trophy again.

Winning rosters

See also

Men's competitions
Women's competitions

References

External links