Zalgiris Kaunas has been confirmed among the eight teams set to compete in the 2025–26 NextGen EuroLeague Finals, where the reigning champions will once again battle the world’s top U18 club teams for the prestigious junior EuroLeague title. The tournament will traditionally take place alongside the 2026 EuroLeague Final Four, which this year will be held in Athens, Greece.
The NextGen EuroLeague Finals, widely recognized as the premier club-based junior basketball competition in the world, will feature Zalgiris Kaunas, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Panathinaikos Athens, Crvena Zvezda Belgrade, Pole France INSEP Paris, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, and the Next Generation Team 3SSB.
Zalgiris enters the tournament as the defending champion, having captured the title last season in Abu Dhabi. That victory marked the third NextGen crown in club history, following previous triumphs in 2003 (the inaugural edition) and 2007.
Across all participating clubs, the teams have collectively won 12 U18 continental titles, including nine of the last eleven championships. Real Madrid leads the field historically with five titles (2015, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024), while INSEP Paris claimed championships in 2010 and 2017, Barcelona lifted the trophy in 2016, and Crvena Zvezda celebrated its title in 2014.
Fans attending the NextGen Finals in Athens – or watching worldwide via the official EuroLeague YouTube channel – will see 12 group‑stage games played over the first three days of the competition, from Thursday, May 21 to Saturday, May 23, at Sunel Arena.
The tournament will conclude on Sunday, May 24, with the championship game between the two group winners, which will take place at Telekom Center Athens as a curtain‑raiser to the EuroLeague Championship Game.
Tickets for the adidas NextGen EuroLeague Finals will go on sale in the coming weeks.
The upcoming tournament marks the 24th edition of the NextGen competition, which has previously showcased future global stars such as Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic, Domantas Sabonis, Kristaps Porziņgis, Jonas Valanciunas, Edgaras Ulanovas, and many others.
