Euroleague reformulates technical fouls and shooting actions

Euroleague Basketball has introduced a series of regulatory updates that will come into effect during the inaugural Supercup of 2026 and in the 2026-27 seasons of the Euroleague and the BKT EuroCup. These changes aim to enhance clarity in the interpretation of the rules and ensure a more equitable competition for players, coaches, and referees.

New Guidelines on Shooting Action

One of the most relevant changes affects the definition of the shooting action. A jump shot or any shooting movement now begins at the exact moment when the player moves their shoulders and the ball upwards, towards the basket. Additionally, the player must be on the front court for the action to count as such.

Penetrating to the basket is evaluated differently than jump shots. In this case, the shooting action is usually initiated between the three-point line and the basket, once the player has control of the ball and continues the shooting motion until they release it.

The new guidelines also cover specific situations that previously generated interpretive uncertainty. Contact arising from a lateral ball movement, known as rip-through, is always considered a foul on the court and never a shooting foul. Contact with the shooter's hand during the continuation of the movement after the shot, or follow-through, is legal only if it is light and occurs cleanly after releasing the ball. Contact on the side of the hand, wrist, arm, or body is still always considered a foul.

Another important aspect is invading the shooter’s landing space. If a defender invades this space and the shooter’s foot lands on the defender's foot, the action is now penalized as a flagrant foul, instead of the previous unsportsmanlike foul.

New Categories of Technical Fouls

Technical fouls are now divided into two clearly differentiated categories. Category 1 counts towards disqualification from the game and includes infractions such as addressing someone disrespectfully, provoking an opponent, obstructing a player’s view, or simulating a foul. Simulation, in particular, will be penalized immediately without prior warning.

Category 2 does not count towards disqualification and includes actions like delaying the game, hanging on the rim after a dunk, or committing defensive interference on the last free throw. These infractions receive a less severe disciplinary treatment, although they remain penalties that referees must call.

A player is disqualified after receiving two Category 1 technical fouls, two flagrant fouls, or one of each type. For head coaches, disqualification occurs after receiving two personal Category 1 technical fouls, or three Category 1 technical fouls related to bench conduct, regardless of whether all three are assigned to the bench or if one is personally assigned to the coach.

Replacement of Unsportsmanlike Fouls

The unsportsmanlike foul has been replaced by two distinct penalties that offer more precise grading based on the severity of the infraction. The disruptive foul includes contact that interrupts the rhythm of play and puts the opponent at a disadvantage, without being severe enough to be considered flagrant. Typical examples include fouling to stop a fast break or stopping the clock at the end of a quarter.

The flagrant foul, on the other hand, encompasses contact that does not constitute a legitimate play action or is reckless, violent, or dangerous. Both penalties entail the same sanction as the old unsportsmanlike foul, but only the flagrant foul counts towards the disqualification of the player or coach.

Coach Challenge Protocol

Coach challenges, or coach challenges, remain with adjustments in their application. Head coaches have two challenges per game but lose one if they have not used them within the first 38 minutes. A challenge can be requested at any time during the game for any of the reviewable situations included in the instant replay system.

There is one important exception: coaches cannot challenge the decision on which player committed a foul. Referees may review the identity of the offender on their own initiative to correct a possible recording error, but that specific review cannot be requested by the coach. A head coach will be automatically disqualified if they, or anyone else on the team's bench list, enters the court and interferes with an opponent's fast break.

Other Current Rules and Clarifications

Euroleague Basketball maintains several adapted rules that differ from the standard FIBA rules and typically come into play when a refereeing decision is questioned. In the defensive semicircle, a blocking foul will be called on a secondary defender located inside the semicircle in front of the basket if they do not jump vertically to defend and collide with an attacking player who impacts them coming from outside the semicircle while airborne.

Referees will no longer issue a prior warning before calling a technical foul for behavior or simulation. Warnings are retained only for situations causing game delays. In the event of a fight, substitutes, excluded players, and other bench personnel are prohibited from entering the court. They will not be automatically disqualified for intervening to help restore order, as long as instant replay confirms that they did not actually participate in the fight.

Regarding signing under protest, only the head coach may sign the game report under protest, and they must do so on the first dead-ball situation after the questioned decision. If the head coach has already been disqualified, the assistant coach assumes that responsibility.

The jump ball retains its format: games and overtimes start with a jump ball in the center circle. Subsequently, the team that did not gain the first possession of the game will perform the sideline throw-in to start the second and third quarters, while the team that did gain the first possession will throw in to start the fourth quarter. Players are allowed to move along the baseline to make the sideline throw-in.

Euroleague Basketball reviews, clarifies, and adapts specific rules each season, reaffirming its commitment to maintaining the highest standards for players, coaches, and referees while continuing to offer fans a competition of the highest competitive level and absolute fairness.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Euroliga reforma faltas técnicas y acción de tiro