FIBA EuroChallenge (called the FIBA Europe League in 2003–05, and FIBA EuroCup in 2005–08) was the 3rd-tier level transnational men's professional continental club

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

competition in Europe, from 2003 to 2015. It was organized and run by

FIBA Europe FIBA Europe is the administrative body for basketball in Europe, within the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), which includes all 50 national European basketball federations. In reaction to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, FIBA Euro ...

. It is not to be confused with the

FIBA EuroCup Challenge The FIBA EuroCup Challenge was the 4th-tier level (it was the 3rd-tier level during the inaugural 2002–03 season), transnational professional continental club basketball competition in Europe. It was run and organized by FIBA Europe. The leag ...

– the now defunct 4th-tier level transnational men's professional continental club basketball competition in Europe, which was also organized and run by FIBA Europe, and played during the 2002–03 to 2006–07 seasons. In 2015, FIBA dissolved the EuroChallenge, in order to start the

Basketball Champions League The Basketball Champions League (BCL) is an annual professional basketball competition for European clubs, organised by FIBA. It is the top-level competition organised by FIBA Europe, therefore the champion participates in the FIBA Interconti ...

(BCL) and

FIBA Europe Cup The FIBA Europe Cup (FEC) is an annual professional club basketball competition organised by FIBA for eligible European clubs. It is FIBA's European-wide second level. Clubs mainly qualify for the competition based on their performance in natio ...

(FEC), in order to compete with the EuroLeague and EuroCup competitions, which are organized by the rival

Euroleague Basketball Euroleague Basketball is the private company that runs and operates the top continental-wide basketball men's professional sports club competitions in Europe, the first-tier level EuroLeague, and the second-tier level EuroCup. It has been or ...

EuroCup promotion

Each season's two EuroChallenge finalists were promoted to the next season's 2nd tier level, the EuroCup competition.

History

The competition was created in 2003, following the defections of most of the top European basketball teams from the former

FIBA SuproLeague The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its nam ...

, which heralded the formation of the new version of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, under the umbrella of

. From the 2004–05 season, EuroChallenge was considered to be the 3rd strongest international professional basketball competition for men's clubs in Europe, after both the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the EuroCup (both of which fall under the supervision of

). Though, during the first two seasons of the competition's coexistence with the EuroCup, the EuroChallenge (under the name FIBA Europe League) was favored by Italian, Russian and Greek teams, making both competitions quite comparable in strength. In 2015,

dissolved the EuroChallenge, to start a new self-anointed second-tier competition, called the

(BCL), in an attempt to compete with the EuroCup.

Final Fours

All-time EuroChallenge Finals/Final Four MVP award winners (2004–2015)

Records and statistics

Performances by club

Performances by country

Individual records and statistical leaders

All-Star Game

Winning rosters

FIBA Europe League

FIBA EuroCup

FIBA EuroChallenge

References and notes

External links

FIBA EuroChallenge official website
{{Men's professional basketball leagues International club basketball competitions Defunct basketball cup competitions in Europe 2003 establishments in Europe Recurring sporting events established in 2003 2015 disestablishments in Europe Recurring sporting events disestablished in 2015