The Final Four of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague will not take place in Berlin this season after all. Since the hall is not expected to be fully utilized in Germany, the Final Four will now take place in Belgrade.
Basketball Germany is a highlight poorer this year: The Final Four of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague will not take place in Berlin. Instead, the EuroLeague champion will be crowned in Belgrade.
“The health measures in Germany, if extended, would not allow a large number of fans to attend the Final Four. They could even discourage some athletes from participating,” said the EuroLeague in its press release.
Up to 4,000 spectators were allowed in the Mercedes-Benz Arena for the BBL Top Four in mid-February. In March, the Berlin Senate could decide on a capacity utilization of 60 percent for major events, which would increase the capacity for basketball games to 8,700 spectators. That doesn’t seem to be enough for the EuroLeague, full capacity is possible in Belgrade.
The choice of a new venue isn’t the only change: the EuroLeague Final Four will be pushed forward a week and will take place from May 19th to 21st. For the first time, the semi-finals will be held on Thursday and the final on Saturday.
If not relocated, the Final Four would have been held in Germany for the second year in a row (Cologne in 2021) and in Berlin for the first time since 2016. The final weekend of the EuroLeague last took place in Belgrade in 2018.
