MIES (Switzerland) - The Youth Basketball Champions League is back for its third season, and the city of Manisa, Türkiye has been selected as the host of the event in 2025. The prime standalone pan-European club competition for U18 teams will tip off at the Tarik Almis arena on April 22 and the champions will be crowned on April 27. A total of 12 teams will play the third season of the Youth BCL, representing eight different countries, including the previous two winners: Igokea m:tel (BIH), who picked up the trophy in Bursa, Türkiye in 2023, and Rytas Vilnius (LTU), the defending champions from Debrecen, Hungary last year. The remaining 10 teams are Aliaga Petkimspor (TUR), ERA Nymburk (CZE), Filou Oostende (BEL), Spartak Office Shoes (SRB), Galatasaray (TUR), Manisa Basket (TUR), Porsche BBA Ludwigsburg (GER), Pallacanestro Reggiana (ITA), Telekom Baskets Bonn (GER) and Tofas Bursa (TUR).
"After the success of last year’s edition in Debrecen, we are thrilled to bring the Youth BCL back to Türkiye. We saw great enthusiasm from the club of Manisa Basket, the city of Manisa and the Turkish Basketball Federation to host the 3rd edition of the Youth BCL and provide excellent conditions for participating teams,” commented Basketball Champions League CEO Patrick Comninos. "The Youth BCL is great stage for youth players to shine on the court and learn off the court through various workshops and programs. The 3rd edition will consolidate our continued endeavor to help nurture young European players and provide our younger fans with a fun tournament to follow," Mr. Comninos added. "It is a great pleasure for Turkish basketball that Manisa Basketball will host the Youth BCL a year after Tofas Bursa successfully hosted the event. As the Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF), we attach great importance to our young talents gaining international experience," stated Mr. Alper Yilmaz, TBF Sports Director. "Our strong cooperation with the Basketball Champions League since day one has developed further in the last two years, thanks to successful events such as the BCL Qualifiers and the Youth BCL. We, as the TBF, believe that this valuable cooperation will continue to grow in the coming period," Mr. Yilmaz added.
"We, as the Metropolitan Municipality of Manisa, attach great importance to sports activities at youth level and are extremely proud, delighted and excited to host the Youth Basketball Champions League and its 12 teams in our Manisa. We will continue our efforts to make our Manisa known around the world," stated Ferdi Zeyrek, Mayor of the Manisa Metropolitan Municipality. "Hosting the Youth Basketball Champions League is a great source of pride for our city, our club and Turkish Basketball. While supporting the development of young players, this tournament offers a unique opportunity to spread the basketball culture and proves once again that Manisa is a rising value in the international sports world," commented Erkan Hacioglu, General Manager of Manisa Basket. The 12 teams will be drawn into four groups of three teams. The group winners will advance to the Semi-Finals, with the two teams that prevail advancing to the championship game on April 27. The second-placed teams from the group stage will face off in the Classification Games 5-8, while the third-placed teams are moving to the Classification Games 9-12. All Youth Basketball Champions League games will be livestreamed on the official BCL YouTube channel for viewers around the world, as was the case the last two years.