Cedevita Olimpija Drawn into Group A for the First Stage of the AdmiralBet ABA League

The 2026/27 AdmiralBet ABA League season will mark the beginning of a new chapter in regional basketball. The revamped competition will feature 20 clubs divided into two groups of ten teams, with Cedevita Olimpija competing in Group A during the first stage of the season.

Joining the Dragons in Group A are Crvena zvezda Meridianbet, Budućnost VOLI, Cibona, Igokea m, FMP, Borac Mozzart, Krka, Široki TT Kabeli, and Slovan Bratislava. The new competition format promises numerous exciting matchups and a highly competitive season, with every game playing an important role in the race for the postseason.

Group A features several established regional powerhouses as well as clubs competing in Europe’s top competitions. Crvena zvezda Meridianbet will once again play in the EuroLeague during the 2026/27 season, while Budućnost VOLIand Cedevita Olimpija will combine their regional campaign with appearances in the BKT EuroCup. Cibona returns to the top tier of regional basketball and will also compete in the Basketball Champions League next season.

Among the most intriguing storylines of the new campaign are the two new faces in Group A. Široki TT Kabeli earned promotion to the regional top flight after winning the 2025/26 NLB ABA League 2 title, while Slovan Bratislava will make its debut in the regional competition.

During the first stage of the season, each team will face every other team in its group twice – once at home and once away. At the end of the first stage, the top four teams from each group will qualify for the Top 8, while the remaining twelve teams will compete in the Play-Out. All results from the opening stage of the season will carry over into the second phase, which will also be played in a double round-robin format. The top six teams from the Top 8 stage will qualify directly for the Playoffs, while the seventh- and eighth-placed teams from the Top 8 and the first- and second-placed teams from the Play-Out will compete in the Play-In for the remaining two Playoff berths.

The Playoff Quarterfinals will be played as best-of-three series, while the new AdmiralBet ABA League champion will be crowned at the Final Four tournament. The new regional season will tip off during the last weekend of September (September 26–28), while the Final Four will take place from May 28 to 30, 2027. The host of the final tournament will be announced at a later date.

At the beginning of July, Cedevita Olimpija also learned its opponents for the regular season of the revamped BKT EuroCup. The Ljubljana side will begin its European campaign in Group A, where it will face Le Mans Sarthe Basket, Hapoel Midtown Jerusalem, Recoletas Salud San Pablo Burgos, Baglietto Derthona Tortona, Aris Thessaloniki Betsson, Rostock Seawolves, and Riga Zelli. The 2026/27 season will therefore present an extremely demanding schedule for the Dragons on both the regional and European stage, as they will compete in the AdmiralBet ABA League alongside the expanded 32-team BKT EuroCup.