The Balkan International Basketball League (BIBL), also known as the Balkan League and as the Delasport BIBL Balkan League for sponsorship reasons, is a multinational professional basketball league featuring clubs primarily from the Balkans. The league includes teams from countries such as Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Cyprus, and Israel. The most recent league champion is Sigal Prishtina from Kosovo.
Current season, competition or edition: 2023–24 BIBL season | |
 BIBL Official Logo | |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 |
| No. of teams | Variable by season |
| Countries | Current countries Bulgaria Cyprus Israel Kosovo Montenegro North MacedoniaFormer countries |
| Continent | FIBA Europe (Europe) |
| Most recent champion(s) | Sigal Prishtina (3rd title) |
| Most titles | Sigal Prishtina (3 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | RIK 2 sportmedia.tv YouTube RTSH |
| Official website | balkanleague.net |
The purpose of the Balkan International Basketball League is to provide competitive international play for clubs in the Balkans that might otherwise be unable to participate in international basketball. The league achieves this by providing financial support to all participating clubs to offset the costs associated with international competition.[1] Notably, the league is also the first international league of its kind to include teams from Kosovo.
Format
editAfter the 2017–2018 season, the Balkan International Basketball League introduced a new, simplified competition format. Under this format, the competition typically features between 6 and 8 teams. The tournament is divided into two phases: the regular season, where all participating teams play each other in a double round-robin format, both home and away. Following the conclusion of the regular season, the first- and second-placed teams automatically qualify for the Final Four. The third-placed team plays the sixth-placed team, and the fourth-placed team plays the fifth-placed team in home-and-away games to determine which teams will advance to the Final Four. The winning teams from these matchups then advance to the Final Four to compete for that season's BIBL Balkan League championship.[2]
Additionally, at the start of the 2020–2021 season, 12 teams from Israel participated in the league to ensure access to competitive games during the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
Championships
editTitles by club
edit| Club | Championships | Runner-ups | Championship years | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sigal Prishtina |
3 | — | 2014–15, 2015–16, 2023−24 |
| 2 | Levski Sofia |
3 | 2 | 2009–10, 2013–14, 2017–18 |
| 3 | Hapoel Gilboa Galil |
2 | 1 | 2011–12, 2012–13 |
| 4 | Rilski Sportist |
1 | 2 | 2008–09 |
| 5 | Feni Industries |
1 | — | 2010–11 |
| Beroe |
2016–17 | |||
| Blokotehna |
2018–19 | |||
| Hapoel Holon |
2020–21 | |||
| Hapoel Galil Elyon |
2021–22 | |||
| Hapoel Be'er Sheva/Dimona |
2022–23 | |||
| 10 | Feršped Rabotnički |
— | 1 | |
| Lovćen
| ||||
| Mornar
| ||||
| Kumanovo
| ||||
| Bashkimi
| ||||
 Teuta
| ||||
| Academic Plovdiv
| ||||
| Maccabi Haifa
| ||||
| Peja
| ||||
| PAYABL EKA AEL
|
Titles by country
edit| Country | Championships | Runner-ups | Championship years | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bulgaria |
5 | 5 | 2008–09, 2009–10, 2013–14, 2016–17, 2017–18 |
| 2 | Israel |
5 | 2 | 2011–12, 2012–13, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23 |
| 3 | Kosovo |
3 | 2 | 2014–15, 2015-16, 2023–24 |
| 4 | North Macedonia |
2 | 2 | 2011-12, 2018-19 |
| 5 | Montenegro |
— | 2 | |
| 6 | Albania |
— | 1 | |
| 7 | Cyprus |
— | 1 |
Clubs (2023-24 season)
edit| Team | Arena | Capacity | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEL Limassol B.C. | Nicos Solomonides Arena | 2,500 | Limassol, CYP
|
| Sigal Prishtina | Pallati I Rinise Dhe Sportheve | 2,800 | Pristina, KOS
|
| KK Lovćen 1947 | Sportski Center Cetinje | 1,500 | Lovćen, MNE
|
| KK Pljevlja | Sport Cener Ada | 3,500 | Pljevlja, MNE
|
| KB Peja | Karakaci Arena | 2,500 | Peja, KOS
|