Cedevita Olimpija in der ersten Liga Aba auch gegen Red Star

The 2026–27 season of the ABA League will see a new structure with 20 teams divided into two groups of ten clubs each. The Ljubljana-based team Cedevita Olimpija has been placed in Group A along with several prominent European clubs, while Perspektiva Ilirija will compete in Group B. This decision was announced following a meeting of the league's board, which also elected Ostoj Mijailović, president of Partizan Belgrade, as the new head of the ABA League. Other members of the board include Dragan Bokan from Budućnost and Davor Užbinec from Cedevita Olimpija. Group A includes established powerhouses such as Crvena Zvezda, Budućnost Voli, Cibona, Igokea, FMP, Borac, Krka, Široki, and Slovan Bratislava. These teams represent some of the strongest regional competitors and have participated in major European competitions. Crvena Zvezda will again take part in the EuroLeague, while Budućnost and Cedevita Olimpija will combine their participation in the regional league with appearances in the European Cup. Cibona returns to the elite of the regional first division after a period away, and Zagreb-based club Široki secured its place through winning the ABA League 2 title. In Group B, alongside Perspektiva Ilirija, are teams such as Dubai, Partizan, Cluj-Napoca, Derby, Zadar, Spartak, Bosnia, Mega, and Dunaj. This group features both traditional strongholds and emerging forces within the region. The new format promises exciting matchups and a balanced competition, with every game being crucial in the race for spots in the knockout stages. Each team in both groups will play against all other teams in their respective group twice, once at home and once away, during the first half of the season. After the completion of this phase, the top four teams from each group will advance to the top eight stage, while the remaining twelve teams will compete in the survival league. All results from the first half of the season will carry over into the second half, where teams will continue playing under a double round-robin system. Six of the best-placed teams among the top eight will directly qualify for the finals, while the seventh and eighth-placed teams from the top eight and the first and second-placed teams from the survival league will face off in additional qualification matches for the final two spots in the quarterfinals. The quarterfinal matches of the finals will be played in a two-leg format, and the new champion of the ABA League will be determined by a final tournament featuring the top four teams. The new season of the regional competition is set to begin between September 26 and 28, with the final tournament scheduled for May 28 to 30, 2027. The host city for the final tournament will be decided later by the organizers.