Balkan International Basketball League
Current season, competition or edition: 2021–22 BIBL season | |
 BIBL | |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 |
| No. of teams | Variable |
| Countries |  Albania  Bulgaria  North Macedonia  Montenegro  Israel  Kosovo |
| Continent | FIBA Europe (Europe) |
| Most recent champion(s) | Hapoel Holon (1st title) |
| Most titles | Levski Sofia (3 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | sportmedia.tv, YouTube |
| Official website | balkanleague.net |
The Balkan International Basketball League (BIBL), also known as the Balkan League, is a multinational professional basketball league that features pro clubs from the Balkans. The league includes teams from the countries of Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania, and Israel. The most recent league champion is Hapoel Holon from Israel.
Purpose[]
The purpose of the Balkan International Basketball League is to provide competitive international play for clubs in the Balkans that would otherwise be unable to participate in international basketball. The league achieves this by providing financial support to all participating clubs in order to ease the costs that make international play difficult.[1] Among other milestones, the league is also the first international league of its kind to include teams from Kosovo.
Format[]
As of the 2017-2018 season, the Balkan International Basketball League has introduced a new, simplified competition format. As per the new format, the competition will involve 8 teams playing each other in a double round robin (home and away) for a total of around 14 games. The changes to the league format include a new playoff format. The first and second place teams automatically qualify for playoffs, while teams placed 3rd to 6th will play each other home and away to make it to the final four (3 vs. 6, 4 vs. 5). Winning teams will advance to the finals to play for the championship.[2]
At the start of the 2020-2021 season, 12 teams from Israel joined the league in order to participate in competitive league play during the COVID-19 era.[3]
Championships[]
| Season | Host | Champion | Result | Runner-up | Arena |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Samokov |
Rilski Sportist |
84–77 | Feršped Rabotnički |
|
| 2009–10 | Sofia |
Levski Sofia |
77–65 | Lovćen |
Universiada Hall |
| 2010–11 | Kavadarci |
Feni Industries |
88–75 | Rilski Sportist |
Jasmin Sports Hall |
| 2011–12 | Gan Ner |
Hapoel Gilboa Galil |
89–84 | Levski Sofia |
Gan Ner Sports Hall |
| 2012–13 | Samokov |
Hapoel Gilboa Galil |
87–79 | Levski Sofia |
|
| 2013–14 | Pristina |
Levski Sofia |
75–69 | Hapoel Gilboa Galil |
Pallati i Rinisë dhe Sporteve |
| 2014–15 | Pristina Samokov |
Sigal Prishtina |
74−72 80–71 |
Rilski Sportist |
Pallati i Rinisë dhe Sporteve |
| 2015–16 | Pristina Bar |
Sigal Prishtina |
82−68 68−75 |
Mornar |
Pallati i Rinisë dhe Sporteve Sportska dvorana Topolica |
| 2016–17 | Stara Zagora Kumanovo |
Beroe |
84−55 77−73 |
Kumanovo |
Sports Hall Kumanovo |
| 2017–18 | Samokov |
Levski Sofia |
83−72 | Bashkimi |
|
| 2018–19 | Tirana |
Blokotehna |
82–68 | Teuta |
Feti Borova Sport Hall |
| 2019–20 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| 2020–21 | Holon |
Hapoel Holon |
91–75 | Academic Plovdiv |
Holon Toto Hall |
Titles by club[]
| Club | Championships | Runner-ups | Championship years | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Levski Sofia |
3 | 2 | 2009–10, 2013–14, 2017–18 |
| 2 | Hapoel Gilboa Galil |
2 | 1 | 2011–12, 2012–13 |
| 3 | Sigal Prishtina |
2 | — | 2014–15, 2015–16 |
| 4 | Rilski Sportist |
1 | 2 | 2008–09 |
| 5 | Feni Industries |
1 | — | 2010–11 |
| Beroe |
2016–17 | |||
| Blokotehna |
2018–19 | |||
| Hapoel Holon |
2020–21 | |||
| 9 | Feršped Rabotnički |
— | 1 | |
| Lovćen
| ||||
| Mornar
| ||||
| Kumanovo
| ||||
| Bashkimi
| ||||
| Teuta
| ||||
| Academic Plovdiv
|
Titles by country[]
| Country | Championships | Runner-ups | Championship years | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bulgaria |
5 | 5 | 2008–09, 2009–10, 2013–14, 2016–17, 2017–18 |
| 2 | Israel |
3 | 1 | 2011–12, 2012–13, 2020–21 |
| 3 | North Macedonia |
2 | 2 | 2011–12, 2018–19 |
| 4 | Kosovo |
2 | 1 | 2014–15, 2015–16 |
| 5 | Montenegro |
— | 2 | |
| 6 | Albania |
— | 1 |
Current clubs (2021–22 season)[]
| Team | City | Arena | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academic Plovdiv | Plovdiv | Kolodruma | Bulgaria
|
| Balkan Botevgrad | Botevgrad | Arena Botevgrad | Bulgaria
|
| Beroe | Stara Zagora | Bulgaria
| |
| Levski Sofia | Sofia | Universiada Hall | Bulgaria
|
| Hapoel Galil Elyon | Kfar Blum | Israel
| |
| Hapoel Holon | Holon | Holon Toto Hall | Israel
|
| Ironi Nahariya | Nahariya | Israel
| |
| Sigal Prishtina | Prishtina | Palace of Youth and Sports | Kosovo
|
| Ibar Rožaje | Rožaje | Large hall of SC Rožaje | Montenegro
|
| Kumanovo 2009 | Kumanovo | Sports Hall Kumanovo | North Macedonia
|
| Navico Akademija FMP | Skopje | North Macedonia
| |
| TFT | Skopje | SRC Kale | North Macedonia
|
References[]
External links[]
Men's professional basketball leagues | |||||||||
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| Africa |
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| Americas | |||||||||
| Asia |
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| Europe |
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| Oceania |
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| International tournaments |
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| Defunct tournaments |
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- Balkan International Basketball League
- Multi-national basketball leagues in Europe
- 2008 establishments in Europe
- Sports leagues established in 2008
- Sport in the Balkans
- Multi-national professional sports leagues