ABA returns to the final four, Buducnost in the group with Red Star, Derby with Partizan, Bokan in the league presidency

The system that was used until 2014 to decide the new champion is returning to the regional competition - the ABA League will once again have a final four starting from the new season.

This was announced after today's League Assembly, at which a number of other decisions were made.

ABA will have 20 teams, and this season they will be divided into two groups with ten participants each, and that phase will be played in a two-round system.

Montenegrin champion Budućnost Voli will play in the A division, which also includes Red Star Belgrade, Cedevita Olimpija, Cibona, Igokea, FMP, Borac Čačak, Krka, Široki and Slovan Bratislava.

Our other representative SC Derbi is in Group B, and its rivals will be the champion Dubai, then Partizan, Cluj, Zadar, Spartak, Bosna, Mega, Ilirija and Vienna.

As announced on the league website, the top four teams from each group will advance to the Top 8 stage, while the remaining 12 teams will continue competing in the play-offs. All points won in the first stage of the competition will be carried over to the second stage, which will also be played according to a two-round league system.

After that, the six best-placed teams from the Top 8 phase will qualify directly for the playoffs, while the seventh- and eighth-placed teams, along with the two best teams from the play-offs, will play in a play-in for the remaining play-off spots. The quarter-finals of the playoffs will be played over two games won, followed by F4 and the decision of the new champion through one game each in the semi-finals and finals.

According to Serbian media, the host of the Final Four will be determined based on a public competition.

Sport Klub writes that Ostoja Mijailović, the first man of Partizan, will be the chairman of the regional competition assembly next season, while Dragan Bokan, president of Buducnost, and Davor Užbinec from Cedevita Olimpija will be in the presidency alongside him.

The last champion in the F4 format was Cibona, who beat Cedevita in the final at the Belgrade Arena in 2014. It was a shock tournament in which everyone saw Partizan and Red Star as the favorites in the fight for the trophy.