EuroLeague and Dubai: good and bad sides of a potential relationship

The next EuroLeague Final Four could take place in Dubai. It would be the first time when the Final Four is hosted outside of Europe. While the financial benefits of this possibility are obvious, it’s important also to analyze the potential negative aspects of any long-term relationship with the United Arab Emirates.

Change is always good, right? Well, that’s a debatable statement. When EuroLeague decided to change the original Final Four location last season, moving it from Berlin to Belgrade, many people thought that the move actually made sense.

In Berlin, there were still restrictions due to Covid, while in Belgrade, the situation was more relaxed, and there was the opportunity to play in a big arena like the Stark Arena (with a capacity of more than 18,000 people).

The presence of Olympiacos among the Final Four teams made the situation easier in terms of the audience, with more than 10.000 Greek fans reaching the Serbian capital.

Although the arena wasn’t completely filled, the final result was solid. The venue for this season Final Four could become an extremely flammable topic sooner rather than later.

As it was reported by our Donatas Urbonas, Dubai has become one of the major candidates to host the next EuroLeague Final Four alongside Kaunas, which was the first venue to be in the mix to host the Final Four.

With the rumors about Dubai becoming increasingly present in every day’s discussion about European basketball, it looks like a good time to try to analyze some of the pros and cons of this possibility that could represent a clear break in the history of the biggest European competition.

Why Dubai could be a good solution

EuroLeague has always been a business-oriented league. Sure, inside the league, there are teams with a lot of history and tradition, but the main core of the EuroLeague as an organization is business.

It has always been like that and always will be. So starting to create a connection with Dubai and the Middle East market in general looks like a smart idea for EuroLeague. Dubai can offer extremely attractive financial terms, which EuroLeague clearly needs since the competition struggled to be financially sustainable for the teams in the past few years.

The United Arab Emirates’ capital can also offer an impressive choice of accommodation and a spectacular arena.

The Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai is one the best equipped and most technological arenas in the world. It can accommodate 17.000 people inside and could easily host NBA games. In the recent past, it hosted big boxing events and concerts.