What was announced yesterday has now received official confirmation. There is no longer any dilemma, since the Final Four of the Euroleague this season will be held in the capital of Serbia, Belgrade!
The last details of the organization between our capital and the leader of the Euroleague, which will move the final tournament from Berlin, have also been agreed upon.
– After a lot of thinking, we made the best decision for our fans and the players themselves. Our main goal is to respect the integrity of the competition and reduce uncertainty for all shareholders. Although we understand all the measures taken by the governments to minimize the consequences of the coronavirus, we could not risk the participation of players in the Final Four – said Jordi Bartomeu.
The first man of the Euroleague thanked Serbia for the quick reaction and acceptance to organize the tournament.
– We could not have wished for a better alternative than Belgrade, a city that automatically identifies with basketball. Thank you to the Serbian Government and the City of Belgrade for the welcome and we all hope that in the penultimate week of May, the pandemic will allow us to once again enjoy the exciting Final Four.
As the information is official, the dates are already known: the semifinals will be played on Thursday, May 19, at 6 pm and 9 pm, the match for the third place is scheduled for Sunday, May 21 at 4 pm, while the finals will be played starting at 7 pm. Due to the Euroleague regulations, around 15,500 spectators will be able to be present in the Stark Arena.
It is interesting that the finals will be played on Saturday, May 21, instead of Sunday, which has been the custom so far, and this will be the first time since 2004! Then Maccabi from Tel Aviv won the title.
Due to the tight schedule, the quarterfinals of the elite European basketball competition will have to end by May 4 at the latest.
After 2018, Belgrade will again have the opportunity to host the four best teams in the Euroleague, while Berlin “hung up” primarily due to the measures caused by the coronavirus.
Thus, Belgrade will join Barcelona, Madrid, Berlin, and Istanbul, the only cities that were multiple organizers of the Euroleague Final Four in the 21st century.
Ljubljana and Istanbul were also in the game for organizing the final Euroleague tournament, but the Turkish city withdrew due to an agreement with Belgrade that will support the candidacy of the Turkish megalopolis to hold the final four next year
