By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The Basketball Champions League announced that the city of Bilbao will host the Final Four on May 6-8. It will be the first a non-participating team’s arena is selected as the host.
Per Basketball Champions League:
The city of Bilbao, Spain, has been awarded the hosting of the 2022 Basketball Champions League Final 4. The season-ending tournament will be organized from May 6-8, 2022 and signals the first time the arena of a non-participating team is selected as host.
The four teams that will qualify out of the Quarter-Finals will participate in the pinnacle event of Basketball Champions League’s sixth season, which will be played in a single-game knock-out format over the first week of May in Bilbao, the 10th largest city in Spain. The games are set to take place in the Bilbao Arena (10’000 seating capacity), regular home court of Surne Bilbao Basket.
As part of this host city announcement, the logo of the 2022 Final 4 has also been unveiled:
“We are very excited to have Bilbao host the Basketball Champions League Final 4. We are grateful to the city of Bilbao, the Spanish local and regional authorities, the Spanish Basketball Federation and the ACB for their commitment to help us organize this event in the best and safest way possible for all stakeholders, especially the players and the accompanying members of all qualified teams. We have acknowledged the fervour of the city to organise this historical event and we look forward to working together to deliver a fantastic season-ending tournament,” said Patrick Comninos, CEO of the Basketball Champions League.
“Despite the challenging situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to award this Final 4 to an environment that has proven experience in organizing top-level basketball events. This will guarantee a unique weekend of basketball for fans across Europe,” he added.
The Mayor of Bilbao, Juan Mari Aburto, is very pleased with the holding of this event in Bilbao: “Once again, Bilbao proves to be an attractive city for major international sporting events”.
“Bilbao will host this great event of basketball at the Bilbao Arena and I hope that both fans and all those who visit us can enjoy a fantastic event, and also take advantage to know and discover our city, our gastronomy, our shops and our traditions,” he added.
“For the Spanish Basketball Federation, it is a great pleasure and honour to see Bilbao hosting the Final 4 of the BCL, a great competition where Spanish teams usually perform very well,” proclaimed Jorge Garbajosa, President of the Spanish Basketball Federation and FIBA Central Board member. “Organising such a major event is no easy task, but in such a great arena, and with the expertise of the local authorities of Bilbao, with the support of Surne Bilbao Basket club and all relevant stakeholders, the ACB league and the Spanish Basketball Federation, we will do our best to organise the best event possible. The level of the previous editions of the Final 4 or Final 8 will be challenging to match, because they were excellent events, but we will do our very best to help this competition to develop and grow this year as well,” he added.
Antonio Martin, ACB President and Member of the BCL Board declared that “Having the BCL Final 4 at Bilbao is a great news for Spanish basketball. Bilbao will be a perfect host, has a great arena and the city is perfectly suited for an event that grows every year”.
The Round of 16 has started on January 25 and will conclude on March 23, 2022.
A Draw will determine the Quarter-Finals, that will be played over the month of April, and Final 4 brackets and will take place on March 25. The event will be livestreamed on championsleague.basketball.
The Semi-Finals will be played in Bilbao on May 6, with the Third-Place Game and Final scheduled for May 8.
The event will be organized in accordance with the FIBA Return to Play Protocol and the relevant regulations applicable by the Spanish authorities. The decision concerning the presence of fans in the arena will be taken at a later stage and in accordance to the rules and regulations set by the Spanish official authorities.