The world’s top international women’s basketball competition, FIBA’s EuroLeague Women is about to tip off! EuroLeague Women group play will begin this Wednesday, Oct. 4 and will run through late January 2024. The competition’s postseason then begins in February, with the championship held in mid-April.
As always, Swish Appeal will be bringing you weekly coverage of EuroLeague Women, with game times, links to live video streams and, of course, the players you need to be following. For now, here’s a quick primer on the basics of EuroLeague Women, including which WNBA players will be playing where in Europe’s premier women’s basketball competition.
What is EuroLeague Women?
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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?
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An excellent question!
EuroLeague Women boasts perhaps the highest level of competition of any international women’s basketball event. The best teams in Europe compete, which includes a preseason qualifying round to determine the final three contending teams. While there is typically 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.
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 every EuroLeague Women game, 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 2023-24 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
Valencia Basket Club (Spain) — Rebecca Allen, Raquel Carrera, Marie Gülich, Alba Torrens, Leticia Romero
Beretta Famila Schio (Italy) — Dorka Juhász, Arella Guirantes, Robyn Parks, Jasmine Keys
DVTK HUN-Therm (Hungary) — Kaila Charles
Casademont Zaragoza (Spain) — Tanaya Atkinson, Leonie Fiebich, Aleksa Gulbe
ACS Sepsi-SIC (Romania) — Bethy Mununga, Borislava Hristova, Morgan Green, Ellen Nystrom
LDLC ASVEL Féminin (France) — Gabby Williams, Marine Johannès, Julie Allemand, Sandrine Gruda, Marine Fauthoux
Polski Cukier AZS UMCS Lublin (Poland) — Shyla Heal
Fenerbahçe Alagöz Holding (Turkey) — Napheesa Collier, Natasha Howard, Kayla McBride, Emma Meesseman, Yvonne Anderson, Kitija Laksa, Nikolina Milic
Group B
Çukurova Basketbol Mersin (Turkey) — Alina Iagupova, Marina Mabrey, Elizabeth Williams
ZVVZ USK Praha (Czech Republic) — Ezi Magbegor, Brionna Jones, Nyara Sabally, Maria Conde, Maite Cazorla, Emese Hof
SERCO UNI Győr (Hungary) — Diamond Miller, Kristine Anigwe, Destiny Slocum
Virtus Segafredo Bologna (Italy) — Lauren Cox, Iliana Rupert, Cecilia Zandalasini, Ivana Dojkić, Haley Peters
KGHM BC Polkowice (Poland) — Stephanie Mavunga, Charli Collier, Brianna Fraser
Villeneuve d’Ascq LM (France) — Kennedy Burke, Kamiah Smalls, Shavonte Zellous, Maia Hirsch
Basket Landes (France) — Alexis Peterson, Sam Fuehring, Luisa Geiselsöder
Perfumerias Avenida (Spain) — Bria Hartley, Sika Koné, Silvia Dominguez
How do I watch EuroLeague Women?
All 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 Twitter account.