Which countries hosted the most EuroLeague Final Fours? / News - Basketnews.com

BasketNews looks at the history of the EuroLeague Final Four and which countries hosted the prestigious organization over the course of 22 years since the format was first introduced.

Credit: Inaki Esnaola/Getty Images, Tolga Adanali/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images, Angel Martinez/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images, Julian Finney/Getty Images Credit Inaki Esnaola/Getty Images, Tolga Adanali/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images, Angel Martinez/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images, Julian Finney/Getty Images

Since being established in 2000, it took Euroleague Basketball and its shareholder teams just one season to move to the classic format of the Final Four.

Although the Final Four is sometimes criticized for its one-match-elimination format, which can waste a season's work for the semifinalists, and because having just four games creates lesser yields for teams and broadcasting corporations, it is still one of the defining trademarks of European basketball.

In this article, we will briefly delve into the history of the Final Four since the beginning of the modern Euroleague era in 2000 and look at which countries hosted this prestigious organization throughout the years.

A brief history of the Final Four

The champion was determined via series in Euroleague Basketball's inaugural season, the 2000-01 season. After a group phase, the top 16 teams matched up for a best-of-three series until only four teams were remaining for the semifinals. At that point, the series became best-of-five.

Eventually, Kinder Bologna triumphed 3-2 over TAU Ceramica to raise the first Euroleague cup of the competition's modern history in 2001.

However, this format did not last. Starting with the 2001-02 season, the cream of the crop of the continent was to be selected via one-match-elimination games across three days in the same arena.

In 2002, the PalaMalaguti (now Unipol Arena) in Bologna, Italy, had the honor of hosting the first-ever Euroleague Final Four.

Kinder Bologna and Panathinaikos Athens, having respectively defeated Benetton Treviso and Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv in the semifinals, squared off for the final game. Panathinaikos came out on top and won the first Final Four in modern Euroleague history. And thus, a tradition was born.

In the history of the modern Euroleague history, the Final Four format has been maintained and held 22 times, being only disrupted in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although the format and the excitement associated with the pinnacle of European basketball never changed, the Final Four was organized in many different countries and cities throughout the years.

Number of Final Fours hosted by country

Which country had the most Final Fours so far? The answer would be Spain. Since 2002, there have been five Final Fours in Madrid, Barcelona, and Vitoria.

Country Number of Final Fours hosted Spain 5 Germany 4 Turkiye 2 Serbia 2 Italy 2 Greece 1 Lithuania 1 France 1 Czechia 1 United Kingdom 1 Israel 1 Russia 1

Final Fours in Spain

Year Arena City Winner 2003 Palau Sant Jordi Barcelona FC Barcelona 2008 WiZink Center Madrid CSKA Moscow 2011 Palau Sant Jordi Barcelona Panathinaikos 2015 WiZink Center Madrid Real Madrid 2019 Fernando Buesa Arena Vitoria-Gasteiz CSKA Moscow

Germany comes in second, which will host its fourth Final Four this year. To correct a possible misconception, the Final Fours have not been all held in different arenas. Actually, O2 World, Mercedes-Benz Arena, and Uber Arena are one and the same, just renamed.

Final Fours in Germany

Year Arena City Winner 2009 Uber Arena Berlin Panathinaikos 2016 Uber Arena Berlin CSKA Moscow 2021 Lanxess Arena Cologne Anadolu Efes Istanbul 2024 Uber Arena Berlin TBD

Turkiye, Italy, and Serbia have each had two Final Fours, while all other countries have had the privilege just once in modern Euroleague history.

Future of the Final Four

In spite of numerous and admittedly logical criticisms, the Final Four format seems to be here to stay. In the last year or so, countries like Serbia, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates have come forward to place bids for future Final Fours.

It will be exciting to watch which contender comes out on top for the upcoming bids after this season. Will Spain return to form after six years? Or will Serbia continue its recent streak?

What if the bid goes to the United Arab Emirates, and there is a Final Four in a completely new setting? Only time will tell the answer to these questions.

Full list of Final Four organizations in modern Euroleague history:

2002 Final Four: PalaMalaguti (Bologna, Italy) 2003 Final Four: Palau Sant Jordi (Barcelona, Spain) 2004 Final Four: Yad Eliyahu Arena (Tel Aviv, Israel) 2005 Final Four: Olimpiisky (Moscow, Russia) 2006 Final Four: O2 Arena (Prague, Czech Republic) 2007 Final Four: Olympic Indoor Hall (Athens, Greece) 2008 Final Four: Palacio de Deportes (Madrid, Spain) [x2] 2009 Final Four: O2 World (Berlin, Germany) 2010 Final Four: Paris-Bercy (Paris, France) 2011 Final Four: Palau Sant Jordi (Barcelona, Spain) [x3] 2012 Final Four: Sinan Erdem Dome (Istanbul, Turkey) 2013 Final Four: O2 Arena (London, UK) 2014 Final Four: Mediolanum Forum (Milan, Italy) [x2] 2015 Final Four: Barclaycard (Madrid, Spain) [x4] 2016 Final Four: Mercedes-Benz Arena (Berlin, Germany) [x2] 2017 Final Four: Sinan Erdem Dome (Istanbul, Turkey) [x2] 2018 Final Four: Stark Arena (Belgrade, Serbia) 2019 Final Four: Fernando Buesa Arena (Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain) [x5] 2020 Final Four: Did not take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2021 Final Four: Lanxess Arena (Cologne, Germany) [x3] 2022 Final Four: Stark Arena (Belgrade, Serbia) [x2] 2023 Final Four: Zalgirio Arena (Kaunas, Lithuania) 2024 Final Four: Uber Arena (Berlin, Germany) [x4] Like what we are doing? Support us by becoming BN+ member.