Italian basketball has made one of the biggest jumps in Eurohoops’ 2026-27 ranking of Europe’s top domestic leagues, climbing two positions to fourth place.
The Lega Basket Serie A now trails only Spain’s ACB Liga Endesa, Turkey’s Basketbol Süper Ligi and Greece’s Stoiximan GBL.
The improvement comes as Italian basketball continues to regain attention both domestically and internationally.
Milan and Virtus Bologna remain major parts of the country’s basketball structure, but the emergence of two new projects in Rome has added further momentum.
Luka Doncic and Francesco Totti are also involved in those projects as interest in NBA Europe increases ahead of its planned 2027 launch.
The appointment of experienced basketball executive Maurizio Gherardini as league president provides another boost.
Italy was once considered Europe’s leading basketball destination during the late 1980s and early 1990s, and its domestic game is now showing signs of becoming more prominent again.
Spain remains first in the ranking, while Turkey holds second place. Greece stays third and is closing the gap after securing a new television agreement worth €21 million over three seasons.
France, meanwhile, dropped from fourth to fifth, with Monaco’s financial collapse and relegation to the third division significantly hurting the league’s position.
Italy’s rise comes at an important time, with NBA Europe approaching and FIBA preparing its own ranking system for European domestic leagues.
