FIBA’s EuroLeague Women, commonly regarded as one of the world’s top international basketball competitions, returns for the 2025-26 season. Group play will begin this Wednesday, October 8, and will continue through early February 2026. The EuroLeague Women postseason will then begin later in February, with the competition championship being held on Sunday, April 19.
For the next few months, Swish Appeal will be bringing you weekly EuroLeague Women coverage, including game times, links to live game streams,
and of course, the players you should be following. For now, here’s a quick refresher on the EuroLeague Women basics, with a focus on which WNBA and WNBA-adjacent players will be competing this winter.
What is EuroLeague Women?
EuroLeague Women is an annual international basketball event held by FIBA. It features 16 of Europe’s top basketball teams from all over the continent, typically playing an extensive regular season spanning several months before competing for the EuroLeague Women Championship, which is held in a bracket format.
Why should I follow EuroLeague Women?
An excellent question!
EuroLeague Women boasts perhaps the highest level of competition of any international women’s basketball event. Some of the best clubs in Europe participate, beginning with a preseason qualifying round that determines the final three contending teams. While there typically is a handful of teams that are clear favorites to win the competition, the level of play during the event is generally considered to be tops in Europe.
Even with the recent rise of American leagues like Unrivaled and Athletes Unlimited, there are still plenty of WNBA players competing in EuroLeague Women for 2025-26. Much of Europe’s finest talent will also be participating, from veterans like Emma Meesseman and Alina Iagupova to up-and-coming young players like Juste Jocyte, Leïla Lacan and Awa Fam.
Not only is EuroLeague Women great basketball, it’s also easily accessible. From a dedicated and aesthetically pleasing FIBA website containing the league rulebook and a news section to keep you up to date to a YouTube channel that has free live streams of EuroLeague Women games, the competition is easy to follow, even if you can’t watch the games live. Following your favorite WNBA players overseas can be a challenge, but for those competing in EuroLeague Women, video, stats and news are easily attainable.
Who competes in EuroLeague Women?
Here is the list of the teams competing in the 2025-26 EuroLeague Women season, along with players WNBA and American basketball fans may be familiar with (per the official FIBA website). Keep in mind that midseason acquisitions and transfers are common, and that this list is by no means final.
Group A
- Spar Girona (Spain) — Laeticia Amihere, Juste Jocyte, Arica Carter
- Tango Bourges Basket (France) — Monique Akoa Makani, Kariata Diaby
- ZVVZ USK Praha (Czech Republic) — Brionna Jones, Janelle Salaün, Makayla Timpson, Kaitlyn Chen, Valeriane Ayayi, Maite Cazorla
- VBW Gdynia (Poland) — Ruthy Hebard, Stephanie Jones, Matilda Ekh
Group B
- Sopron Basket (Hungary) — Nika Mühl
- Galatasaray Çağdaş Faktoring (Turkey) — Marine Johannès, Elizabeth Williams, Dorka Juhász, Awak Kuier, Kamiah Smalls
- Beretta Famila Schio (Italy) — Jessica Shepard, Cecilia Zandalasini, Marième Badiane, Maria Conde
- Flammes Carolo Basket (France) — Ashley Joens, Liz Dixon, Maïa Hirsch
Group C
- Valencia Basket Club (Spain) — Alina Iagupova, Awa Fam, Kayla Alexander, Tanaya Atkinson, Raquel Carrera, Hind Ben Abdelkader, Leticia Romero
- DVTK HUNTHERM (Hungary) — none yet
- Fenerbahçe Opet (Turkey) — Jonquel Jones, Emma Meesseman, Dominique Malonga, Rebecca Allen, Monique Billings, Julie Allemand, Iliana Rupert, Sevgi Uzun
- Olympiacos SFP (Greece) — Ciera Johnson
Group D
- Basket Landes (France) — Leïla Lacan
- Umana Reyer Venezia (Italy) — Kaila Charles, Lorela Cubaj, Joyner Holmes, Stephanie Mavunga
- ÇİMSA ÇBK Mersin (Turkey) — Tiffany Hayes, Kennedy Burke, Luisa Geiselsöder, Julie Vanloo
- Casademont Zaragoza (Spain) — Carla Leite, Stephanie Mawuli, Helena Pueyo, Nadia Fingall
How do I watch EuroLeague Women?
EuroLeague Women games will be streamed for free on FIBA’s EuroLeague Women YouTube channel. The games will be archived in case you miss them. FIBA also usually posts highlights of the games on the channel, as does the league’s X/Twitter account.
