Andrea Trinchieri warned that EuroLeague expansion is unfair to players and might negatively affect clubs in domestic leagues.
The EuroLeague is set to expand from 18 to 20 teams next season, but not everyone is thrilled with the decision.
Zalgiris Kaunas head coach Andrea Trinchieri voiced concerns, saying the change is unfair to players and could create even more imbalances in domestic leagues.
"10 double weeks. This is my thought," Trinchieri shared an initial reaction after the Lithuanian League semifinal and then expanded:
"First of all, nobody knows how it's gonna look because it's the first time. The first impact will be on domestic leagues. Every team is gonna struggle more, for sure," he noted. "The only unfair thing is that the two things cannot go together. I understand that at this moment, with what is happening in the basketball community, with the NBA and all these things, the EuroLeague has to do something.
"EuroLeague is definitely the best basketball product, together with the NBA. I don't say who's better. So, I believe that what is happening is physiological," Trinchieri went on to say. "You have domestic leagues that don't come along with the things.
"The first thing that will happen when the [new EuroLeague] schedule comes out, everybody's gonna see when they play EuroLeague teams after the double week. This is the first thing that's gonna happen.
"Is this fair for the players? It's not. But is the world fair?" the Italian questioned. "We just have to find a way to navigate this."
The EuroLeague will keep its current format for the 2025–26 season, with the regular season increasing from 34 to 38 games.
As reported by Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews, three teams—Valencia Basket, Hapoel Tel Aviv, and Dubai Basketball—are set to join the competition.
EuroLeague teams in the 2025-26 season
* – Teams in bold are EuroLeague shareholders
| Team | Country |
| Anadolu Efes Istanbul | Turkey |
| AS Monaco | Monaco |
| ASVEL LDLC Villeurbanne | France |
| Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | Spain |
| Dubai Basketball | United Arab Emirates |
| Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | Serbia |
| EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | Italy |
| FC Barcelona | Spain |
| FC Bayern Munich | Germany |
| Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | Turkey |
| Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv | Israel |
| Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv | Israel |
| Olympiacos Piraeus | Greece |
| Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | Greece |
| Paris Basketball | France |
| Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade | Serbia |
| Real Madrid | Spain |
| Valencia Basket | Spain |
| Virtus Segafredo Bologna | Italy |
| Zalgiris Kaunas | Lithuania |
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