The EuroLeague Play-In begins on April 21, with the regular season now complete and the final two playoff spots still up for grabs. The bracket now has a clear structure: the winner of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs AS Monaco will claim the No. 7 seed, while the other path will decide the No. 8 seed on April 24.
Panathinaikos finished seventh in the regular-season standings at 22-16, and Monaco placed eighth at the same record. Their winner moves directly into the playoffs as the No. 7 seed and will face No. 2 seed Valencia Basket in the quarterfinals.
The April 21 opener in Athens is scheduled for 21:00 local time, 18:00 GMT. That matchup carries immediate value because it sends one team straight into the main bracket and leaves the other one game away from elimination.
The other first-round play-in game pits FC Barcelona against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade later the same night. Barcelona finished ninth at 21-17, while Crvena Zvezda ended the regular season 10th with the same record, setting up a high-pressure battle for survival.
That game is scheduled for 20:45 local time, 18:45 GMT, and the stakes are simple: the winner stays alive for the final Play-In game, while the loser’s season ends. The team that survives will play on April 24 for the No. 8 seed.
The April 24 matchup will feature the loser of Panathinaikos vs Monaco against the winner of Barcelona vs Crvena Zvezda. The winner of that elimination game will take the No. 8 seed and advance to face No. 1 seed Olympiacos in the quarterfinals.
