It is official: the EuroLeague 2025 Final Four will take place in Abu Dhabi. The top European basketball competition will move to United Arab Emirates for the semi-finals, the third place and championship games, between May 23 and 25, 2025. It will be the fourth time the basketball finals take place in the Middle-East, but the other times were in Tel Aviv (1972, 1994, 2004), which made more sense given that Maccabi Tel Aviv has won the Championship six times, the final one in 2014.
The decision to move the Final Four to Abu Dhabi has obviously been financial, although the press release also says that it responds to the "strategic ambition to expand into new markets, building on its 25-year legacy of success". According to El País, EuroLeague will receive 25 million euros from the Arab country each year they host the Final Four there, double the amount they would have earned from the other candidate, Belgrade. From the 13 stakeholders (the founding teams of the EuroLeague) only two voted against, Real Madrid and Olympiacos.
"Bringing the Final Four to Abu Dhabi is an ambitious project and a remarkable opportunity to showcase the EuroLeague atmosphere to a new and diverse audience. At the same time, this partnership guarantees our loyal fans a fresh experience in one of the world's most modern and tourist-friendly cities", said Dejan Bodiroga, President of EuroLeague Basketball.
Currently, the contract is only for one year, with hopes to repeat in the following two years if fans respond well and are willing to travel to Abu Dhabi to fill the Etihad Arena, with a seating capacity of 12,000. Tickets will go on sale on February 26.