Weekend Rundown: Four European Leagues Tip Off Their 2026-2027 Season
Four domestic European leagues got their 2026-2027 seasons underway this weekend, well before the continent's marquee competitions open their doors. The EasyCredit BBL in Germany, the Betsafe LKL in Lithuania, the Maxa NBL in the Czech Republic and the Enovos League in Luxembourg all staged their opening rounds between September 18 and September 20, giving fans an early look at rosters ahead of the bigger leagues' launches.
Germany's EasyCredit BBL kicks off with seven games
The BBL season opened on September 18 with ALBA Berlin's 89-82 win over NINERS Chemnitz. Stefan Smith led the Chemnitz effort with 19 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists in nearly 32 minutes, and Cobe Williams added 18 points, but Berlin got enough from Justin Bean, who posted 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Jordan Ford, who chipped in 14 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
ALBA Berlin 89 - 82 NINERS Chemnitz · EasyCredit BBL 2026-2027 · 18/09/2026
Leaders
| ALBA Berlin | NINERS Chemnitz | |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | Jordan Ford 14 | Stefan Smith 19 |
| REB | Justin Bean 11 | Ben Burnham 7 |
| AST | Jack Kayil 5 | Phlandrous Fleming Jr 6 |
Team stats
| ALBA Berlin | NINERS Chemnitz | |
|---|---|---|
| FG | 42.7% | 43.3% |
| 3PTS | 8/38 | 4/24 |
| FT | 17/22 | 20/24 |
| REB | 50 | 35 |
| OREB | 21 | 12 |
The rest of the opening weekend followed on September 19 and 20. Basketball Löwen Braunschweig outscored Gladiators Trier 116-107, Rostock Seawolves beat Phoenix Hagen 102-92, and Telekom Baskets Bonn routed Veolia Towers Hamburg 96-72. EWE Baskets Oldenburg got past Syntainics MBC 96-81, ratiopharm Ulm edged MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 86-77, and FC Bayern Munich closed the round with a 108-72 blowout of Bamberg Baskets.
Lithuania's Betsafe LKL opens with four games
Lithuania's top flight opened with four games. Lietkabelis Panevėžys edged Utenos Juventus 84-82 on September 19, while Tauragė outlasted CBet Jonava 95-90 the same day. Gargždai also opened with a 90-79 win over Šiauliai on September 20.
Neptunas Klaipeda 69 - 93 Zalgiris Kaunas · Betsafe LKL 2026-2027 · 20/09/2026
Leaders
| Neptunas Klaipeda | Zalgiris Kaunas | |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | Elvar Fridriksson 17 | Marek Blazevic 15 |
| REB | Martynas Echodas 7 | Jonas Valanciunas 7 |
| AST | Elvar Fridriksson 6 | Nigel Williams-Goss 7 |
Team stats
| Neptunas Klaipeda | Zalgiris Kaunas | |
|---|---|---|
| FG | 45.3% | 51.6% |
| 3PTS | 9/18 | 9/23 |
| FT | 12/19 | 20/24 |
| REB | 25 | 37 |
| OREB | 7 | 11 |
The headline result came from Žalgiris Kaunas, who cruised past Neptūnas Klaipėda 93-69 that same day. Elvar Már Friðriksson led Neptūnas in the losing effort with 17 points and 6 assists in 25.7 minutes, but Žalgiris answered with balanced scoring from Marek Blažević (15 points, 6 rebounds), Jonas Valančiūnas (12 points, 7 rebounds), Sterling Brown (13 points) and Azuolas Tubelis (11 points, 5 rebounds).
Czech Maxa NBL plays five games
The Maxa NBL followed with five games spread across September 19 and 20. BK KVIS Pardubice beat PUMPA Basket Brno 85-79, and NH Ostrava won at BK Opava 89-77. BK GAPA Hradec Králové topped BK Olomoucko 93-81, and Sršni Photomate Písek edged SLUNETA Ústí nad Labem 80-78.
BK KVIS Pardubice 85 - 79 PUMPA Basket Brno · Maxa NBL 2026-2027 · 19/09/2026
Leaders
| BK KVIS Pardubice | PUMPA Basket Brno | |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | Trey Bonham 18 | Petr Krivanek 18 |
| REB | Kamil Svrdlik 8 | Jermaine Webb 18 |
| AST | Trey Bonham 6 | Petr Krivanek 6 |
Team stats
| BK KVIS Pardubice | PUMPA Basket Brno | |
|---|---|---|
| FG | 38% | 39.4% |
| 3PTS | 13/37 | 6/23 |
| FT | 18/26 | 17/29 |
| REB | 44 | 52 |
| OREB | 14 | 17 |
The featured result was SK Slavia Praha's 88-80 road win over USK Praha. Vojtěch Hruban paced Slavia with 18 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in just over 19 minutes, and Ronaldo Segu added 15 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. USK Praha got 16 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists from K.J. Doucet in the defeat, with Ondrej Švec adding 14 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.
Luxembourg's Enovos League opens with a six-game qualifying round
Luxembourg's Enovos League Hommes also launched its 2026-2027 season this weekend, staging a six-game qualifying round on September 19 and 20, according to the Luxembourg basketball federation (FLBB).
Five games tipped off on September 19: Basket Esch beat Résidence Walferdange 78-74, Arantia Larochette routed T71 Dudelange 89-59, Sparta Bertrange defeated AS Soleuvre 86-72, Etzella Ettelbruck downed Kordall Steelers 109-81, and Racing Luxembourg topped Amicale Steesel 96-81.
The round wrapped up on September 20 with Gréngewald Hueschtert's 84-83 win over Musel Pikes.
None of Europe's flagship domestic leagues have started yet. France's Betclic ELITE opens on September 25, Spain's Liga Endesa follows on September 26, and Italy's Lega Basket Serie A tips off on September 27. The EuroLeague, along with the BKT EuroCup, is set to begin on September 24, according to the ECA Board's press release from June 26. The wait for the continent's biggest stages is almost over.
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