By Lefteris Moutis / moutis@eurohoops.net
Real Madrid will host the Euroleague’s Final Four and according to predictions they have a slight advantage for winning the trophy. But what does the past say about teams that hosted the final four?
The Madrilenos are the first team after Panathinaikos in 2007 that will have the chance to become the European Champions in front of their own crowd. Actually, their supporters have appreciated the unique chance to watch their team at home getting at the top of the pedestal after 20 years, and this is why they constitute the overwhelming majority of those that bought a ticket to the Final Four.
What have the home teams done in the past then? There are two different categories of hosts, since there are several teams where the Final Four was held in their city and their home court, while others still played at home as the Final Four was held in another city in their country. Let’s start from the teams that were real hosts of the tournament.
From the five seasons in total where this has taken place, in three of those the host won: Panathinaikos in 2007, Maccabi in 2004 and Barcelona in 2003. In contrast, the failure was huge for the undefeatable throughout the whole season CSKA in 2005 when they lost in the semifinal to Tau, and for Virtus Bologna in 2002, when as the big favorite lost in the final to Panathinaikos.
| Season | Host city | Home Team | Place |
| 2007 | Athens | Panathinaikos | Champion |
| 2005 | Moscow | CSKA Moscow | Fourth |
| 2004 | Tel Aviv | Maccabi | Champion |
| 2003 | Barcelona | Barcelona | Champion |
| 2002 | Bologna | Virtus Bologna | Finalist |
On the other hand there are four more teams that competed in a Final Four that was held in their country but not on their home court. The last two times, Panathinaikos in 2000 in Thessaloniki and Real Madrid is Zaragoza celebrated the conquest of the title. However, in 1993 PAOK was defeated in the semifinal at SEF that was packed with their fans, while in 1990 in Zaragoza, Barcelona was defeated in the final by the formidable Yugoplastika.
| Season | Host city | “Home” Team | Place |
| 2000 | Thessaloniki | Panathinaikos | Champion |
| 1995 | Zaragoza | Real Madrid | Champion |
| 1993 | Piraeus | PAOK | Third |
| 1990 | Zaragoza | Barcelona | Finalist |