Aris and PAOK Submit EuroLeague Franchise Bids: 13 Candidates Compete for 8 Slots in 2027-28

Two franchise proposals landed on the EuroLeague board's desk in the same week: one from Aris, one from PAOK. Both clubs come from Thessaloniki, the northern Greek port city where basketball shares its crowded calendar with football. The real story sits in the number behind those two documents: 13 candidates competing for 8 licensed slots beginning with the 2027-28 season, with a decision expected on Tuesday, October 6, 2026.

Having covered EuroLeague for years, I have grown used to reading it as a two-layer system: the visible layer is basketball — pick-and-roll, spacing, load management — and the hidden layer is membership rights. From the CBA, I learned that the rough gem is never in the highlight, but in the quiet minutes. This summer, EuroLeague's hidden layer walked onto the main stage.

Context: a league that decides for itself

EuroLeague is operated by EuroLeague Commercial Assets (ECA), an entity owned by its member clubs. Unlike UEFA's merit-based promotion model, EuroLeague issues two kinds of tickets: long-term licenses and season-by-season wild cards. A long-term license guarantees entry, a fixed schedule and a share of revenue — in substance an operating equity stake, not a ticket.

The plan to add 8 slots for the 2027-28 cycle is the league's biggest structural change in years. The meeting of the big clubs in Como is expected to focus on expansion rather than cooperation with the NBA. EuroLeague's ownership is keeping its distance from the NBA and that league's European projects — a strategic signal, not an administrative step.

This is a contest between two governance models. On one side stands EuroLeague: club-owned, issuing long-term licenses, running on a closed-league logic borrowed from the United States. On the other stands the prospect of an NBA-backed European league with far greater media and financial firepower. The October 6 decision does not merely pick eight names; it picks a direction for an entire ecosystem.

The candidate list spans the continent: Aris and PAOK (Greece), Hapoel Jerusalem and Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israel), Red Star and Partizan (Serbia), Napoli, Roma and Virtus Bologna (Italy), Valencia (Spain), Paris (France), Dubai (UAE) and London Lions (UK).

Analysis: a franchise slot is an appreciating asset

A EuroLeague license is an appreciating asset. A long-term slot delivers stable revenue, a guaranteed fixture list and continental brand exposure — things a seasonal wild card cannot provide. With 13 clubs bidding for 8 seats, EuroLeague holds enormous negotiating leverage: license length, revenue splits, arena standards, multi-year financial guarantees. Candidates are not merely asking for a slot; they are accepting the terms of a closed-league model.

The transfer market is a battlefield where the seller trades on reputation and the buyer trades on data. Here, the commodity is not a player but membership rights, and the “data” is media-market size, arena capacity and financial guarantees.

The candidate field reveals a dual logic. On one hand, EuroLeague wants to retain traditional powers — Partizan, Red Star, Virtus Bologna, Valencia. On the other, it is opening new commercial frontiers: Dubai and London Lions. London is one of Europe's largest media markets; Dubai brings Gulf capital. The mix suggests selection criteria lean toward commercial viability rather than on-court merit.

For Greek basketball, two bids arriving together is a story about domestic prestige. Aris and PAOK are rival powers in Thessaloniki. If both are admitted, Greece could field four permanent continental representatives alongside Athens-based Panathinaikos and Olympiacos — something that has never happened. Prior reports place PAOK among the favorites.

Notably, there is no player data anywhere in this story. EuroLeague operates a “Financial Stability & Fair Play” regime — a soft salary cap with a luxury tax, not an NBA-style hard apron. Roster construction for the new franchises only becomes an analyzable question once admissions are decided. Based on my experience tracking games in the CBA and the Bundesliga during the no-spectator period, I learned that league structure shapes on-court behavior more than any single tactical adjustment.

Contrarian view: expansion is not automatically growth

The familiar assumption is that expansion means growth. If 8 of 13 candidates are admitted, the league's average quality could dip in the first seasons. Some candidates are emerging-market projects rather than proven continental powers. The risk is a two-tier competitive product inside a single league: the long-licensed incumbents and the newcomers.

The bigger risk sits with the losers. As many as 5 candidates may receive a rejection. While EuroLeague publicly keeps its distance from the NBA, the clubs left out become natural recruits for any NBA-backed European project. If that happens, European basketball could split into two rival top-tier leagues.

The selection process also raises questions. The reporting names no specific criteria, and the language of “favorites” points to an invitation-based process that is partly discretionary rather than an objective ranking. A decision announced on October 6 without a transparent framework will struggle to avoid a legitimacy dispute. The claim that PAOK is among the favorites is the most emotionally loaded and least verifiable detail, resting on prior reports.

On the market side, Dubai's entry brings capital that could lift player salaries and club valuations across Europe, echoing a script already seen in football. London Lions opens a door into one of the continent's largest media markets, potentially raising broadcast-rights value at the next negotiation cycle. These are indirect effects that will only become clear once the list is finalized.

Takeaway

The pandemic did not destroy sport; it burned old models and let the ashes feed new ones. What is happening at EuroLeague is a similar dialectic: the league is not merely expanding, it is redefining who belongs in the top tier. Victory is the product of decisions made before the game begins — and for Aris, PAOK and the 11 other clubs, the real game began the moment the papers were signed. Sport never stops; it only changes courts, changes rules, and changes the people holding the data pen.