One of the upsides of the new EuroLeague Women competition system, which was first instituted last season, is the opportunity to see high-profile matchups played several times during both group phases.
This week, Fenerbahçe Opet (4-0) will take on Valencia Basket Club (3-1) for the second time this season; both clubs have enormous budgets and are loaded with international talent, and are thus widely expected to be among the few true competitors for the 2026 EuroLeague Women Championship.
Fenerbahçe is led by some big names in Emma Meesseman and Kayla McBride, though it’s Iliana Rupert who has been truly exceptional. Through four games, Rupert is averaging 15 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game, shooting 57.1 percent from the field and a scorching-hot 73.1 percent on 2-pointers. She earned EuroLeague Women MVP honors for the month of October for her strong play, and she’ll surely remain a focal point as November begins.
The rematch between Fenerbahçe and Valencia is just one of several compelling games on this week’s docket. Two other clubs, Galatasaray Çağdaş Faktoring and Spar Girona, will also try to remain perfect with 5-0 records, while Basket Landes (3-1) can be the first in Group D to clinch a spot in the next round. Each of these games will be streamed live and for free on FIBA’s EuroLeague Women YouTube channel.
Tuesday, November 4
Beretta Famila Schio (2-2) vs. Sopron Basket (0-4)
- When: 12 p.m. ET
- Where: Aréna Sopron in Sopron, Hungary
- How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
- Players to watch: Jessica Shepard, Cecilia Zandalasini, Kitija Laksa, Marième Badiane, Maria Conde (Beretta Famila Schio); Nika Mühl, Jelena Brooks (Sopron Basket)
- Matchup details: Two teams (Galatasaray and Carolo) in Group B have clinched spots in the next round, and it’s a foregone conclusion that Schio will be the third. Their Week 2 game against Sopron wasn’t a close one, and chances are that the Italian club will take care of business again. If Sopron is going to keep things competitive, they’ll need to cut down on their turnovers (they committed 20 against Schio in their first matchup), as well as get a more balanced scoring effort; Brooks and Zala Friškovec combined to score 37 points in Week 2, which Schio was obviously content with, since Sopron got almost nothing from the rest of its roster.
Flammes Carolo Basket (2-2) vs. Galatasaray Çağdaş Faktoring (4-0)
- When: 12 p.m. ET
- Where: Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul, Turkey
- How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
- Players to watch: Ashley Joens, Liz Dixon, Maïa Hirsch (Flammes Carolo Basket); Elizabeth Williams, Dorka Juhász, Awak Kuier, Kamiah Smalls (Galatasaray Çağdaş Faktoring)
- Matchup details: Galatasaray may be leading Group B with a perfect record, but Carolo is just nine points behind them in point differential, and based on the game they played in Week 2, these two teams are fairly evenly-matched. They’ve both already qualified for the next round, but this rematch should still be interesting; prior to this season, Carolo was not necessarily a household name, but the French club has played all of its opponents tough and has shown that it belongs. That being said, both of Carolo’s wins came against Sopron. Can they take that next step this week against one of the competition’s elites in Galatasaray?
Valencia Basket Club (3-1) vs. Fenerbahçe Opet (4-0)
- When: 12 p.m. ET
- Where: Ülker Sports and Event Hall in Istanbul, Turkey
- How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
- Players to watch: Leonie Fiebich, Alina Iagupova, Awa Fam, Kayla Alexander, Tanaya Atkinson, Raquel Carrera, Hind Ben Abdelkader, Leticia Romero (Valencia Basket Club); Emma Meesseman, Kayla McBride, Megan Gustafson, Rebecca Allen, Julie Allemand, Iliana Rupert, Sevgi Uzun (Fenerbahçe Opet)
- Matchup details: This is, without a doubt, the game of the week. The last time Fenerbahçe and Valencia met, they needed overtime to decide the result. While it wouldn’t be surprising to see another close game between these two powerhouses, they’ve both made some changes to their roster since Week 2, with Fiebich joining Valencia and Fenerbahçe replacing Billings with McBride and Gustafson. Both teams have, as expected, already clinched their spots in the next round of group play, so there’s technically not much to play for here, but the amount of talent in this game makes it a must-watch regardless.
Çimsa ÇBK Mersin (1-3) vs. Basket Landes (3-1)
- When: 1:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Espace François-Mitterrand in Mont-de-Marsan, France
- How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
- Players to watch: Tiffany Hayes, Kennedy Burke, Luisa Geiselsöder, Julie Vanloo, Beatrice Mompremier (ÇİMSA ÇBK Mersin); Leïla Lacan, Julie Wojta, Murjanatu Musa (Basket Landes)
- Matchup details: Ask just about any EuroLeague Women fan about this matchup before the season began, and they’d have probably predicted these two teams to have the opposite records. Every game Landes has played has been a close one, but they’ve come out on top in most of them, including a 70-69 thriller against Mersin back in Week 2. This goes to show just how important every game in the competition is; only 10 total points separate Landes and Mersin in cumulative point differential, but Landes is one win away from advancing to the next round, while Mersin is close to disaster. Failure to make it out of the first phase of group play would be close to unthinkable for a club of Mersin’s caliber, and while they’re technically not in must-win territory yet, evening the season series against Landes would go a long way in the grand scheme of things.
Casademont Zaragoza (2-2) vs. Umana Reyer Venezia (2-2)
- When: 1:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Palasport Taliercio in Venice, Italy
- How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
- Players to watch: Carla Leite, Stephanie Mawuli, Helena Pueyo, Nadia Fingall (Casademont Zaragoza); Kaila Charles, Lorela Cubaj, Joyner Holmes, Stephanie Mavunga, Ivana Dojkic (Umana Reyer Venezia)
- Matchup details: This is one of the few games this week in which both teams truly have something to play for. Zaragoza and Venezia have been close to inseparable in the standings thus far, and the fact that any of the four clubs in Group D can still make (or miss) the second round adds to the excitement. Venezia eked out a victory over Zaragoza in Week 2, overcoming some sloppiness with the basketball with efficient scoring (55 percent from the field), and it would be reasonable to expect another close game this time around.
VBW Gdynia (0-4) vs. Tango Bourges Basket (2-2)
- When: 2 p.m. ET
- Where: Caisse d’Epargne Loire Centre – le Prado in Bourges, France
- How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
- Players to watch: Ruthy Hebard, Stephanie Jones, Matilda Ekh (VBW Gdynia); Kariata Diaby, Tima Pouye, Marie-Paule Foppossi (Tango Bourges Basket)
- Matchup details: The season can’t end soon enough for Gdynia, who have been outscored by nearly 30 points per game and are only still in second-round contention by the letter of the law. Bourges, who have been about as average as possible with a 2-2 record and an overall point differential of zero, should have no problem here. The French club easily defeated Gdynia in Week 2, crushing their opponents on the boards 49-26, and there’s no reason to expect a different result this time.
Wednesday, November 5
Olympiacos SFP (1-3) vs. DVTK HUNTHERM (0-4)
- When: 1 p.m. ET
- Where: DVTK Aréna in Miskolc, Hungary
- How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
- Players to watch: Ciera Johnson, Nausia Woolfolk, Eleanna Christinaki (Olympiacos SFP); Kathryn Westbeld, Nina Aho, Monika Grigalauskyte, Paula Ginzo (DVTK HUNTHERM)
- Matchup details: Even with an 0-4 record and a -126 cumulative point differential (the worst in EuroLeague Women), DVTK still isn’t out of the picture. That is, of course, mostly because Olympiacos hasn’t been overly impressive either; the Greek club did, however, earn its first win over DVTK back in Week 2 thanks to 22 points from Christinaki. One of these teams is going to make it out of Group C—Olympiacos can clinch that spot with another win here—so this is actually one of the bigger games of the week, no matter what the records and point differentials say.
ZVVZ USK Praha (2-2) vs. Spar Girona (4-0)
- When: 1:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Pavelló Fontajau in Girona, Spain
- How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
- Players to watch: Janelle Salaün, Bridget Carleton, Makayla Timpson, Kaitlyn Chen, Valeriane Ayayi, Maite Cazorla, Pauline Astier (ZVVZ USK Praha); Laeticia Amihere, Justė Jocytė, Arica Carter (Spar Girona)
- Matchup details: Girona has been head and shoulders above everyone else in Group A, playing the best offense (85.8 points per game) and defense (60 points allowed per game) of any club. We learned that they were for real back in Week 2 when they soundly defeated Praha, winning by 15 points despite committing 20 turnovers. The defending champs will surely be looking for revenge this week, and though it’s more or less decided that they’re going to advance to the next round, putting together a bounceback game against a strong opponent will probably be an emphasis for their coaches.
