The eight best teams in Europe according to the continental ranking, including the Spanish Amiab Albacete, Bidaideak Bilbao, ACE Gran Canaria and Ilunion, they will search Wetzlar (Germany), together with three German clubs and one Italian, the first title of the newly created Champions League, competition that this course replaces the Champions League.
This new competition, created by the European Wheelchair Basketball Federation, is disputed in a bubble format by the eight best teams in the ranking, after last January the IWBF decided to cancel this course all continental tournaments as a preventive measure against COVID-19.
Along with the four Spanish teams, the Porto Torres (Italy) and Thuringia Bulls, RSV Lahn-Dill and Baskets 96 Rahden (Germany).
In the quarterfinals there will be a Spanish duel between Bidaideak Bilbao, winner of Euroleague 1 in 2019, and Amiab Albacete. The Basque team, led by Adrián Yáñez, faces the tournament in its best sporting moment, and one step away from conquering its first Spanish League, while the La Mancha team, trained by Esther Jiménez, will try to make amends in Europe after having run out of options to fight for the title in the national championship.
The winner of this tie will face in the semifinals the winner of the German duel between the Thuringia Bulls, winner of the last Champions League, and Baskets 96 Rahden.
Ilunion, triple champion of Europe, with a staff full of internationals and under the baton of Miguel Vaquero, will face the Italian Porto Torres in the quarterfinals, a regular in European competitions and dominator in the transalpine championship.
The Madrid team will try to beat Porto Torres, led by Amadou Iamine, whatue treasures a squad that mixes youth and seniority, to measure in the semifinals the winner of the match between the RSV Lahn-Dill and ACE Gran Canaria.
The Gran Canaria team, champion of Euroleague 2 in 2007 and currently led by Jonay caraballo, is having a good season in the Spanish championship, although he has run out of options to fight for the title. In Germany he will try to surprise and eliminate the Lahn-Dill, one of the great favorites to win the title and the most awarded team in German history with six Champions Leagues.
Due to the pandemic of the COVID-19, Matches will be played without an audience in the stands and all teams must pass negative tests, be isolated in their respective hotels and sports facilities, without contact with people outside the group during the competition.
Competition program:
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– Friday April 30
12:30 RSB Thuringia Bulls – Baskets 96 Rahden
15:00 Ilunion – GSD Porto Torres
17:30 Amiab Albacete – Bidaideak Bilbao
20:00 RSV Lahn-Dill – ACE Gran Canaria
– Saturday 1 May
17:30 and 20:00 Semifinals
– Sunday 2 May
15:00 Third and fourth place
17:30 End.