Belgrade is officially the host of EuroLeague Final Four 2022 / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: AFP - Scanpix Credit AFP - Scanpix

The 2022 EuroLeague Final Four, which was due to be held in Berlin, is going to take place in one of the most iconic basketball cities in the world instead, Belgrade. The tournament's finale will be hosted at Stark Arena, the league has officially announced.

As previously reported, the Final Four dates have been changed, as well, with the semifinals to be played on Thursday, May 19 at 18:00 CEST and 21:00 CEST, while the third-place game and championship game will be on Saturday, May 21 at 16:00 CEST and 19:00 CEST, respectively.

Four years after it successfully hosted the 2018 edition, where Real Madrid lifted its 10th continental title by defeating Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, the Serbian capital will once again welcome the Final Four. In so doing, Belgrade will join Barcelona, Madrid, Berlin, and Istanbul as the only cities to host the event more than once this century.

Euroleague Basketball and AEG agreed to postpone the holding of the Final Four in Berlin based on the current pandemic situation and health measures imposed in the German capital.

"After much deliberating, we have taken what we consider to be the best decision for our fans and players," Jordi Bertomeu, Euroleague Basketball CEO, stated. "Our main goal is to respect the competition's integrity and reduce uncertainty for all our stakeholders. Even while we understand the measures that any government approves to minimize the impact of COVID-19, we could not put the participation of our players in the Final Four at risk."

"We couldn't ask for a better alternative now than Belgrade, a city that is automatically identified with basketball," Bertomeu continued. "I would like to thank the Serbian government and the Municipality of Belgrade for welcoming us, and we all hope that during the next-to-last weekend of May, the pandemic situation will allow us all to enjoy a thrilling Final Four once again."

The Stark Arena will be the Final Four venue once again. Built in 2004, with a capacity of approximately 15,500 spectators for a Final Four configuration, it is one of the most popular arenas on the continent, having attracted a large number of the biggest and liveliest crowds in European basketball history to EuroLeague games over the last decade.

Support BasketNews so we could make even better content.