Fourth home game for Cedevita Olimpija, Hamburg is coming to Ljubljana

The senior team of Cedevita Olimpija will play its fourth consecutive home game on Wednesday. In the Round 8 game of the BKT EuroCup regular season, the Dragons will host Veolia Towers Hamburg at 18:30 in Stožice. Tickets for the game, which will be additionally highlighted by the International Evening, are still available at vstopnice.olimpija.com.

Ahead of Cedevita Olimpija’s players is the fourth home game in a row – this time on Wednesday at 18:30, when the German team Veolia Towers Hamburg arrives in Stožice. The Ljubljana side will try to record its sixth win in the EuroCup, and the game against Hamburg will also be the last EuroCup match before the competition break brought by the national team window at the end of November.

Hamburg is coming to Ljubljana for the Round 8 game of the EuroCup regular season, and after seven played games they are still without a win. Despite this, the memory of the last head-to-head meeting between the two teams last season is still fresh – at the beginning of February, the scoreboard in Hamburg showed 80:62 in favor of the home team. Since 2023, the teams have faced each other four times, with the wins split evenly.

Cedevita Olimpija will also be chasing a piece of history on Wednesday in Stožice. The Ljubljana club last had a record of six wins and two losses after eight rounds in competitions under the umbrella of Euroleague Basketball in the 2002/03 season, when they were still competing in the elite EuroLeague under the name Union Olimpija. In this millennium, the Dragons achieved this after eight rounds only once more – in the 2000/01 season, also in the EuroLeague. In the 1998/99 season, Ljubljana had two losses on their record after eight rounds of FIBA’s EuroLeague as well, while their best start in independent Slovenia dates back to the 1993/94 season, in which they won seven of their first eight games in the FIBA European Champions Cup.

To avoid congestion in the Stožice garage, we recommend all visitors to arrive at the game on time, at least 45 minutes earlier than usual, and to use public transport. With a game ticket, you can ride Ljubljana public transport buses for free for three hours before the game and three hours after it ends.

If you will be coming to the game by car, please park in the parking areas near Stožice (Žale I, Žale II, Žale III, Žale IV, Žale V, Kranjčeva, and Gosarjeva). The garage next to the Stožice Arena will be open until the limited number of spaces is filled.

TICKETS:

Tickets for the game are available at vstopnice.olimpija.com, Eventim Slovenia, and at all Petrol service stations across Slovenia.

The ticket office in front of the arena and the arena doors will open at 18:30. The NLB “Fast Entrance” will be open again, allowing visitors who present an NLB bank card before entering the arena to enter the arena more quickly.

GAME ACTIVITIES:

More than an hour before the game, the area outside the arena will already be very lively. The fan zone will be full of laughter, music, and anticipation. The youngest visitors will first stop at our basketball corner, where they will shoot balls and loudly cheer one another on. A bit further along, their eyes will light up at the coloring-book table — everyone attending a game for the first time will be able to take home a special diploma, proudly filled out and colored. The youngest visitors will also be making their own signs on A3 sheets — some with funny messages, others with bold score predictions.

Nearby, the Spar wheel of fortune will be spinning constantly, bringing all kinds of prizes and plenty of fan excitement. Heka will have a booth where visitors can compete in quick challenges and chase practical prizes, while at Pleško Cars / Renault they will be able to use electric toy cars and take a ride on the mini track. At a special booth, everyone can sign up for the main prize: a weekend with the legendary R4 or the modern R5.

Sole Cleanic will ensure that fans step into the stands with clean sneakers — the team will be cleaning shoes and leaving behind rows of gleaming soles. On the side, the popular Score or not activation will take place. The booths of students from Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina will also be especially lively, sharing treats, showcasing their culture, and exchanging fan stories with visitors.

When the game begins, the action will move into the arena. Between the first and second quarters, Heka will organize a prize game for a signed jersey, which will raise excitement throughout the arena. During halftime, the tension will reach its peak: first the legendary Triglav half-court shot for 5,000 EUR, then the Score or not competition, which will add even more action.

During the break between the third and fourth quarters, Spar will prepare a free-throw competition, where selected fans will show off their basketball skills and compete for prizes. For all foreign visitors, Visit Ljubljana will reveal fun facts about the city and its secrets, further enriching their experience.

The fan zone and the in-game program will together create an all-day experience — a true celebration of fan energy, togetherness, and entertainment.

The game between Cedevita Olimpija and Hamburg will take place under the theme of International Evening, a special event bringing international energy and diversity to Stožice. In cooperation with the Ljubljana Tourism Board and Erasmus Ljubljana, we will create an environment in Stožice where domestic and foreign basketball fans meet, showing that basketball — and sport in general — is a universal language of connection. The event will be held in Slovenian and English, accompanied by various activities aimed at encouraging socializing and creating a vibrant fan atmosphere.

In the stands, we will support the Dragons together while celebrating interculturality, friendship, and a shared love of sport. The International Evening will be an opportunity for Stožice to become a meeting point of different cultures, languages, and fan energies.

TV BROADCAST:

The television broadcast of the Round 8 BKT EuroCup game against Hamburg will be available on Šport TV 1. The studio portion of the broadcast will begin at 17:45.

PRE-GAME STATEMENTS:

“After the regional league game against Crvena zvezda, we have very little time for recovery and preparation for the game against Hamburg. We must enter the duel motivated. Hamburg is an extremely athletic team; with every opponent this season, they have been in the game for the win practically until the end. Recently, their roster has undergone some changes, and our opponents are coming to Stožice rested, since they had a bye round in the German national championship. We must be ready for that,” said the head coach of the senior team, Zvezdan Mitrović, ahead of the game against the German team.

“We must stay focused and motivated, as another important EuroCup game awaits us on Wednesday. Hamburg is coming to us, and we cannot afford a slip-up on our home court,” said the captain of Cedevita Olimpija’s senior team, Jaka Blažič, ahead of Wednesday’s game in Stožice.

“On Wednesday in Stožice, we definitely have a very important game ahead of us. After the win over Crvena zvezda, we must stay humble but still confident, play the game we have been showing recently, and build on the chemistry we show on the court. We enjoy being with each other, and we need to continue that. Hamburg has made some changes in its roster — the new energy that comes into a team can always be very dangerous. Our opponents will come to Stožice without pressure, wanting to record their first win of the season. We must prevent that,” said Aleksej Nikolić ahead of the fourth consecutive home game.

GAME PREVIEW:

Cedevita Olimpija is currently playing excellently in the EuroCup — with five wins in seven games, the Dragons are averaging 86.9 points per game, and the defensive performance is especially encouraging, as only JL Bourg and Budućnost VOLI have allowed fewer points in the first seven games this season. The Ljubljana side also showed committed defense in their last EuroCup test, allowing Venezia to score only 65 points in Stožice, including just 28 in the second half, and it is also worth mentioning that the Dragons have scored more than 90 points in each of their last two games. Against Venezia, six players in the green-orange jersey scored double digits, with Umoja Gibson leading the way with 15 points.

He was also the top scorer in Monday’s win against the EuroLeague leaders Crvena zvezda, scoring 18 points. Aleksej Nikolić added 14 points, along with seven assists and five rebounds, DJ Stewart contributed 11, and captain Jaka Blažič 10.

Cedevita Olimpija recorded its 11th win in 14 games of the 2025/26 season on Monday. In the ABA League, the Dragons currently have a 5-1 record, and in the EuroCup a 5-2 record. The winner of the game against Zvezda was decided in the final minutes. With 80 seconds left in the last quarter, the Dragons had a seven-point lead (85:78), but the Belgrade team still forced an even finish, after which the Slovenian champions celebrated the victory.

On Wednesday, the only EuroCup team without a win after seven games in the 2025/26 season comes to Stožice. Hamburg is not doing any better in the German national championship either, where they have not managed to record a win in six games, entering Ljubljana on a streak of 13 consecutive losses.

In the Hamburg jersey this EuroCup season, four players are scoring double digits, with the top scorer being Leonard Thorpe, who is averaging 15.2 points per game, along with 5.3 assists and 3.7 rebounds. In Round 7, Hamburg suffered a loss against Śląsk (81:92), and the most efficient player of the German team was Zacharie Perrin, who scored 19 points.

BKT EUROCUP, REGULAR SEASON, ROUND 8

Stožice Arena (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Wednesday, 19 November, at 18:30:
CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA – VEOLIA TOWERS HAMBURG (ticket purchase; TV broadcast on Šport TV 1)

STANDINGS

LOOKING AHEAD:

Before the competition break brought by the national team window, the Slovenian champions will also take the court in Subotica, where they will face Spartak Office Shoes on Sunday. After the competition break, the Dragons will first host Śląsk in the EuroCup.