The EuroLeague confirms: From December 1, matches in Israel will return conditionally

OR Euroleague with its announcement it confirmed its intention to return the games of the organization to Israel from the December 1st. A necessary condition is to observe the ceasefire in the regionbut also to have the consent of the teams that are going to visit the country, as well as the associations of players, coaches and referees, in order to ensure absolute safety.

“Euroleague Basketball will continue to closely monitor developments, remain in close contact with local and foreign authorities, visiting teams and all relevant organisations, including ELPA, EHCB and UEBO, and ensure that the safety and welfare of all involved remains the highest priority“, the announcement states.

It is worth noting that from December 14 to January 1, the joint home of Maccabi and Hapoel Tel Aviv has events planned for months, which will probably force the two teams to look for another stadium, inside Israel. In this period there are the games Hapoel-Red Star (12/16), Maccabi-Valencia (12/18) and Hapoel-Zalgiris (12/30).

Tel Aviv has hosted a Euroleague match since October 5, 2023, when Maccabi hosted Partizan. Since then the war situation has taken Maccabi to Belgrade and from this year Hapoel play in Sofia for their Euroleague obligations.

Olympiacos managed to play Maccabi in Belgrade on 10/16 (94-95), while Panathinaikos, on the other hand, hosts the people’s team on October 28. On the contrary, Hapoel in the first round of the Euroleague plays away to the “eternals” and in the second round they will host them in Tel Aviv, as long as everything goes smoothly and we do not return to war conditions.

The announcement states:

After careful consideration of the matter, the ECA clubs agreed to the proposal to set 1 December 2025 as the date for the resumption of competition in Israel.

Euroleague Commercial Assets (ECA) member clubs met on Tuesday to discuss the current situation in Israel and Gaza following the recently announced ceasefire and peace initiatives. The meeting also touched on the possibility of EuroLeague and BKT EuroCup matches returning to Israel, after the matches were moved to neutral venues from October 2023.

After careful discussion, the ECA clubs agreed to the proposal to set 1 December 2025 as the date for the resumption of games in Israel. Until then, Euroleague Basketball will continue to closely monitor developments, remain in close contact with local and foreign authorities, visiting teams and all relevant organisations, including ELPA, EHCB and UEBO, and ensure that the safety and well-being of all involved remains the highest priority.

Euroleague Basketball and its participating clubs welcome the recent peace plan with optimism and hope. The organization reaffirms its belief in the power of basketball to bring people and communities together, as well as its commitment to contribute to peace through the shared values ​​of sport, respect and unity.