On June 23, the VTB United League Council met in Moscow to approve the roster, format, and regulations for the 2026/27 championship.
Here are the main changes:
1) Two clubs will be added compared to last season: Astana will return to the League, while Dynamo Vladivostok will be a debutant and also the easternmost club in the League’s history;
2) Nizhny Novgorod will skip next season (while NN-Meshchersky will continue to play in the VTB United Youth League);
3) The Winline Basket Cup will be held for the second time, with the participant list to be announced later;
4) After the 12 League teams play each other in two round-robin, the teams will be divided into groups of six, which will play each other for two more rounds (for a total of 32 games in the regular season). All teams in the top six advance to the playoffs, while the top four teams in the bottom six advance to the playoffs; they will play in a play-in;
5) The bronze medal series will be a best-of-three series and will be played in a 1-2 format (the first game is played on the lower-seeded team’s court);
6) The 2026/27 season will begin with the Super Cup, which will be held from September 14 to 19 in Moscow; the list of participants will be announced later.
Have a great summer, everyone!