The Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament enters its 18th edition this season with teams from 32 clubs and basketball academies representing 14 countries competing to reach the finals at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Cologne, Germany, where this season's champion will be crowned on May 24, 2020.
The road to Cologne is unchanged from last season's ANGT, with Valencia, Spain; Munich, Germany; Kaunas, Lithuania; and Belgrade, Serbia, hosting three-day qualifying events. Each of the qualifiers will feature eight teams, of which the winner earns an automatic berth to the finals in Cologne. Four additional teams, based on a number of parameters - including their respective performances at the qualifying events – will receive wildcard berths to challenge for the U18 continental crown. The 32 sides represent the Under-18 squads from 13 different EuroLeague and 11 7DAYS EuroCup clubs.
The first qualifier – in Valencia from December 27 to 29, 2019 – will feature host and the winner of last season's Valencia qualifying event, Valencia Basket, 2016 ANGT champion FC Barcelona Lassa, Herbalife Gran Canaria and Unicaja Malaga, all from Spain, as well as LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne from France, Cibona Zagreb from Croatia, Olympiacos Piraeus from Greece and Tofas Bursa from Turkey.
The second qualifier – in Munich, Germany from January 17 to 19, 2020 – will feature reigning ANGT champion Real Madrid as well as German clubs ALBA Berlin, FC Bayern Munich, Porsche Ludwigsburg and ratiopharm Ulm, three-time ANGT champion CSKA Moscow from Russia, Stellazzurra Rome from Italy and Promitheas Patras from Greece.
The third qualifier – in Kaunas, Lithuania from February 7 to 9, 2020 – will feature host Zalgiris Kaunas, fellow Lithuanian side Rytas Vilnius; 2013 ANGT champion Joventut Badalona and Casademont Zaragoza, both from Spain; Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul from Turkey, Nanterre 92 from France, Umana Reyer Venice from Italy and for the first time, Barking Abbey London from England.
The fourth qualifier – in Belgrade, Serbia from February 21 to 23, 2019 – will feature 2014 champion Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade plus fellow Serbian sides Mega Bemax Belgrade and Partizan NIS Belgrade, two-time ANGT champion CFBB Paris from France, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana from Slovenia, Asseco Arka Gdynia from Poland, Maccabi Tel Aviv from Israel and Panathinaikos OPAP Athens from Greece.
The Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament is a breeding ground for tomorrow's biggest and brightest basketball stars. Among the long list of current EuroLeague players who proved themselves in the ANGT are Vasilije Micic (Anadolu Efes Istanbul), Arturas Gudaitis and Nemanja Nedovic (AX Armani Exchange Milan), Nikola Mirotic and Thomas Heurtel (FC Barcelona), Luigi Datome (Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul), Alexey Shved (Khimki Moscow Region), Nikita Kurbanov (CSKA Moscow), Nihad Dedovic, Mathias Lessort, Leon Radosevic and Diego Flaccadori (FC Bayern Munich), Omri Casspi, Yovel Zoosman and Deni Avdija (Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv), Livio Jean-Charles (LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne), Marcus Eriksson and Stefan Peno (ALBA Berlin), Branko Lazic (Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade) and Alberto Abalde (Valencia Basket).