By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
The seedings for the FIBA Europe Cup 2022-23 season were confirmed on Wednesday, with the participating clubs set to learn their opponents on Thursday, July 14 at the regular season draw, streamed live on FIBA’s YouTube channel.
This season’s competition includes a total of 32 clubs, including both teams placed directly in the Regular Season and those competing in the Qualifiers. Furthermore, 19 clubs from the Basketball Champions League Qualification Tournaments have opted in to participate in the FIBA Europe Cup if they do not qualify for the BCL Regular Season, with a maximum of 18 clubs participating in the FIBA Europe Cup Regular Season.
According to FIBA, a total of 32 clubs registered for this season’s competition, specifying that the best-ranked team from each of the Top 10 national federations in the club competition rankings is awarded a direct berth in the Regular Season.
The 10 clubs with a direct place in the Regular Season are the following:
Kangoeroes Basket Mechelen (BEL)
BC Balkan (BUL)
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim (GER)
Hapoel Galil Elion (ISR)
New Basket Brindisi (ITA)
Donar Groningen (NED)
Anwil Wloclawek (POL)
FC Porto (POR)
CSM Oradea (ROU)
Gaziantep Basketbol (TUR)
Meanwhile 19 of the clubs that will take part in the Basketball Champions League Qualification Rounds have opted-in to participate in the FIBA Europe Cup in the event they do not reach the Basketball Champions League Regular Season. No more than 18 of those clubs can eventually join the FIBA Europe Cup, and they would be placed directly into the Regular Season of the competition.
Therefore, in order to determine the clubs that will take up the remaining Regular Season spots and complete the 2022-23 field, FIBA Europe will organize four Qualifier tournaments, between September 27-30.
The 22 clubs that are set to compete in the four Qualifier tournaments will be divided into six pots (seeded and unseeded) for the draw, based on the clubs’ results in the FIBA Europe Cup during the previous three seasons.
There will be 10 seeded clubs that will enter the tournaments directly in the Semi-Final Stage and those are the four teams in Pot 1, the four teams in Pot 2 and two teams that will be drawn from the four in Pot 3.
The Regular Season seedings as confirmed by FIBA Wednesday:
Seed 1: CSM Oradea (ROU); HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim (GER); Donar Groningen (NED); Gaziantep Basketbol (TUR); BC Balkan (BUL); Anwil Wloclawek (POL); FC Porto (POR); Hapoel Galil Elion (ISR)
Seed 2: Loser of BCL QT3 Final (Brose/ Dolphins/Budivelnyk v Keravnos/Benfica/Golden Eagle); Tofas Bursa (TUR)*; Fribourg Olympic (SUI)*; Unicaja Malaga (ESP)*; Karhu Kauhajoki (FIN)*; Bakken Bears (DEN)*; Opava (CZE)*; New Basket Brindisi (ITA)
Seed 3: Kangoeroes Basket Mechelen (BEL); Loser of BCL QT3 Semi-Final (Brose Bamberg v Dolphins/Budivelnyk); Loser of BCL QT3 Semi-Final (Keravnos v Golden Eagle Ylli/SL Benfica); CSO Voluntari (ROU)*; Niners Chemnitz (GER)*; Heroes Den Bosch (NED)*; Egis Körmend (HUN)*; Swans Gmunden (AUT)*
Seed 4: Loser of BCL QT3 Quarter-Final (Norrköping Dolphins v Budivelnyk); Loser of BCL QT3 Quarter-Final (Golden Eagle Ylli v SL Benfica); Patrioti Levice (SVK)*; Pärnu Sadam (EST)*; Winner FEC QT A; Winner FEC QT B; Winner FEC QT C; Winner FEC QT D
*In case this club qualifies to the BCL Regular Season, this spot would be filled by one of the runners-up of the FEC Qualifiers.
The four FIBA Europe Cup Qualifier Tournaments will take place from September 27-30. The Qualifiers field and the seeding of the clubs taking part in those were announced previously and can be found here.