The ACB Champions Cup kicks off its second season with 20 teams

The Champions Cup embarks on its second year with renewed institutional and business momentum. The presentation event, held in Barcelona, gathered representatives from the twenty participating teams, ACB executives, sponsors, and players who embody the values of inclusion that characterize this initiative. The event, hosted by Pepe Pozas and Sandra Alaejos, started with a visual recap of the previous season before moving on to institutional speeches.

Luca Bosisio, CEO of Banco Mediolanum in Spain, emphasized the financial institution's commitment to the project. "This is a very special day for us. Being in this initiative for the second year makes me feel excited. Having a second season is already a significant success, and we are proud to be alongside the Champions Cup again," the executive stated. Ricardo de Diego, ACB brand director, recalled the tournament's origins in Valencia and emphasized the importance of continuous support from new collaborating companies and cities committed to the competition.

Structure and schedule of the competition

The 2026-27 season of the Champions Cup will maintain the eighteen clubs from the previous edition, along with two ACB teams that achieved promotion last season. All of them will compete in the tournament divided into three strategically located venues throughout the season.

The first match days will take place on October 24 and 25 at the La Plana pavilion in Badalona. Six teams will participate in this phase: Club Joventut Badalona - Fedamar, CB Gran Canaria Proyecto Suma, Fundación Bilbao Basket, UCAM Murcia CB, MoraBanc Andorra - Escaldes Engordany, and San Pablo Burgos Fundación Aurora. Subsequently, eight teams will concentrate in Zaragoza on March 13 and 14 to compete in the second match days. This phase will include CB Casademont Zaragoza, Addin Fundación CB Canarias, Fundación Real Madrid, Kids&Us Manresa, Unicaja, Baskonia, Clínica Mi Novaliança Lleida, and Valencia Basket - Aderes.

The competition will conclude in May in Santiago de Compostela, where the remaining six teams will complete the tournament on the 8th and 9th. The teams participating in this phase will be Monbus Obradoiro Genuine, Fundación Breogán, Leyma Básquet Coruña, Fundació Barça Genuine, CB Sierra Nevada Natura Ability Granada, and Fundació Basquet Girona.

Corporate support and inclusion values

The Champions Cup has established a solid ecosystem of sponsors committed to inclusive sports. At the presentation in Barcelona, representatives from Banco Mediolanum, Pelayo, Wilson, Special Olympics, GWM, Endesa, Erreà, and FCC explained their motivations for supporting this initiative. Azulmarino and Fundación ONCE are also part of the project, although they could not attend the event.

Montse Prats from Banco Mediolanum defined the competition as "emotion, inspiration, and a life lesson." Patricia Alemany from Pelayo emphasized that "it is not just a sports competition, it is a space that shows basketball's ability to generate opportunities for everyone." Víctor Saladich from Wilson highlighted the pride in participating in a project that promotes inclusion in sports.

Maria Fusté from Special Olympics emphasized the importance of these initiatives: "It is very positive that these initiatives exist, so people with intellectual disabilities can engage in sports in their daily lives, something that is not so easy." Alberto Morla from GWM described the Champions Cup as "a more exciting and beautiful project." Ignacio Asensi from Endesa pointed out that "the Champions Cup is vital for us. It is a different project, and it is a pleasure to be able to participate in it."

Basketball as a tool for social transformation

Pedro Comellas from Erreà explained that "we did not hesitate for a moment to join this competition, for all the values that basketball transmits and now includes inclusion." Ágata Mur from FCC concluded that "we saw the shared values between our company and this competition, honesty, respect... We share values that build societies."

The Champions Cup aims to primarily give visibility to inclusive sports and use basketball as a tool for social integration. The twenty players present at the event, one from each participating team, showcased the enthusiasm with which they approach this competition driven by the ACB Foundation.

Testimonials from players and basketball legends

Víctor Claver, an ACB legend who witnessed the debut of the Champions Cup in Valencia, shared his perspective on the tournament's impact. "I was lucky to experience it in person, and it was spectacular. I think a community has been created through basketball, where everyone feels like an athlete. The fact that all teams want to be involved shows how important the Champions Cup is and how beautiful this project is," the former professional player stated.

The testimonials from the players participating in this second edition reflected genuine enthusiasm. "I really enjoy being with all my teammates"; "I had a great time on the court, but I also had a great time off the court"; "I enjoyed a lot and met many people. It is a super beautiful memory"... The words of the protagonists highlighted the importance of the Champions Cup for its participants, solidifying their status as the true stars of the project.

The family photo session closed this first event of the 2026-27 season, symbolizing the unity of a project that is ready to begin. Everything is set for the ball to roll again. Badalona will be the first destination of a competition that seeks to transform lives through sports and inclusion.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La Copa Campeones ACB arranca segunda temporada con 20 equipos