Euroleague Basketball has announced a series of rule changes and clarifications ahead of the 2026-27 EuroLeague and EuroCup seasons, with adjustments covering the act of shooting, technical fouls and unsportsmanlike fouls.
The changes were announced Tuesday, September 15, and will also apply to the inaugural 2026 Euroleague Basketball SuperCup.
One of the most significant updates concerns the definition of the act of shooting. For a jump shot or other moving shot, it now begins when the player moves their shoulders and the ball upward toward the basket, provided the player is in the frontcourt.
Drives to the basket are judged separately. The act of shooting generally begins between the three-point line and the basket once the player gathers the ball and continues the shooting motion through release.
Euroleague Basketball also clarified several contact situations. A rip-through move involving side-to-side contact will always result in a foul on the floor rather than a shooting foul.
Contact with a shooter’s hand on the follow-through is legal only when it is minor and occurs cleanly after the ball has been released. Contact on the side of the hand, wrist, arm or body remains a foul.
Another important change concerns a defender entering a shooter’s landing space. If the shooter’s foot lands on the defender’s foot, the incident will now be classified as a flagrant foul rather than under the previous unsportsmanlike foul category.
The unsportsmanlike foul itself has been replaced by two categories: disruptive foul and flagrant foul. A disruptive foul covers contact that interrupts the flow of play and disadvantages an opponent without reaching the level of a flagrant foul, including fouls designed to stop a fastbreak or stop the clock late in a quarter.
A flagrant foul applies to contact that is not a legitimate basketball play or is reckless, violent or dangerous. Both fouls carry the same penalty as the former unsportsmanlike foul, but only flagrant fouls count toward disqualification.
Technical fouls have also been divided into Category 1 and Category 2. Category 1 includes disrespectful communication, taunting, obstructing an opponent’s vision and faking a foul, and counts toward disqualification. Category 2 covers offenses such as delay of game, hanging on the rim after a dunk and defensive goaltending on the final free throw, but does not count toward disqualification.
A player will be disqualified after two Category 1 technical fouls, two flagrant fouls, or one of each. Head coaches face disqualification after two personal Category 1 technical fouls, or three Category 1 technical fouls connected to bench conduct.
Several Euroleague Basketball-adapted rules that were already in place also remain for the new season. Head coaches continue to receive two challenges per game, although one is forfeited if unused during the first 38 minutes. Coaches cannot challenge the identity of a player called for a foul.
There will also no longer be a warning before a technical foul for behavioral issues or faking, while warnings remain for delay of game. A coach will be automatically disqualified if anyone on the team’s bench list enters the court and interferes with an opponent’s fastbreak.
