London Lions to play in adidas NextGen Euroleague qualifiers

By Hoopsfix Staff on December 29, 2025

The London Lions have been confirmed as participants in the Abu Dhabi Qualifying Tournament of the adidas NextGen EuroLeague, taking place from 27 February to 1 March 2026.

The adidas NextGen EuroLeague is the premier Under-18 club competition in European basketball, featuring 28 elite youth programmes from 12 countries across four three-day qualifying tournaments held between February and March.

London Lions will become only the third British team to compete in the adidas NextGen EuroLeague Tournament and the first since 2019, following Barking Abbey, who previously took part on two occasions, and the England Under-18 national team, who competed in the tournament in 2013 when the EuroLeague Final Four was held in London.

The events will determine the teams advancing to the season-ending NextGen EuroLeague Finals, staged alongside the EuroLeague Final Four, where the continental junior club champion will be crowned.

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The Abu Dhabi stop will feature a highly competitive field, with the London Lions drawn alongside:

Aris Thessaloniki
AS Monaco
Dubai Basketball
NextGen Team Abu Dhabi
Real Madrid
Valencia Basket
Zalgiris Kaunas

Nineteen of the 28 participating teams across the qualifying phase are junior sections of EuroLeague clubs, with six representing BKT EuroCup organisations, alongside invited teams and host NextGen selections at each stop.

As part of their preparation for the Abu Dhabi Qualifier, the Lions’ NextGen squad will compete in the Surrey 89ers Winter Showcase on 29 and 30 December at Surrey Sports Park.

The Lions’ roster for the adidas NextGen EuroLeague Tournament will be announced in due course.

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