The new Spanish basketball season officially got underway on Tuesday with an unprecedented event: for the first time, the Liga Endesa and Liga Femenina Endesa shared the same stage to unveil their new seasons together at the headquarters of energy company Endesa, the main sponsor of both competitions. The event sought to highlight the continued growth of Spanish basketball and its ambition to move forward with strength.
The event, held in the Spanish capital, was hosted by renowned presenter Eva Soriano and journalist Sergio Perela. It featured musical performances and provided an opportunity to unveil the main developments and highlights of the upcoming basketball season.
The 2026-27 Liga Endesa season will see two Galician teams, Monbus Obradoiro and Leyma Coruña, return to the top flight after earning promotion last season. They will replace relegated Gran Canaria and Covirán Granada in a competition that will tip off in just a few days, on September 26-27. The league will begin only a week after the Endesa Super Cup is played in Badalona on September 19-20, with the first official trophy of the season at stake. Asisa Joventut, Valencia Basket, Kosner Baskonia and Barça will battle it out for the title. The most notable absences will be Real Madrid, who will miss the Super Cup for the first time in 15 seasons following a disappointing campaign last year.
Meanwhile, the Liga Femenina Endesa enters a new season with ambitions of continuing its growth and a schedule packed with the major dates on the Spanish women’s basketball calendar. The season will begin with the Super Cup, to be held in Torrejón de Ardoz on September 26-27, with Casademont Zaragoza looking to defend the title they won last season. The league will get underway on October 3, with Valencia Basket entering the season as defending champions, while the Copa de la Reina will take place from March 25-28, again with Valencia aiming to retain its crown.
The new season will also mark the first time that Instant Replay is introduced in the women’s competition, in a bid to strengthen the league and improve the quality of officiating decisions.
It promises to be a particularly compelling season, with many of the competition’s leading stars, both Spanish and international, returning from a high-level World Cup that once again demonstrated the quality and competitiveness of women’s basketball.
Several members of the Spanish team that won the bronze medal at the World Cup were among those attending the season launch, including Mariona Ortiz (Casademont Zaragoza), Helena Pueyo (Valencia Basket), Alba Torrens (Azul Marino Palma) and the latest sensation in Spanish basketball, 20-year-old point guard Iyana Martín (UniGirona), who was named to the World Cup All-Tournament Team.
In his opening remarks, Endesa CEO Gianni Armani stressed that the event showcased “the strength, unity and generosity of our basketball,” while thanking the ACB and the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB) for their teamwork —something that has not always been the case throughout the history of the sport in Spain—.
FEB president Elisa Aguilar, meanwhile, highlighted the importance of the joint presentation and the image it projects of Spanish basketball. “Our growth is reflected in the evolution of our competitions, in the talent of our players, both male and female, and in our international results. The recent Women’s World Cup was yet another example of this, with the Spanish national team competing at the highest international level and once again showcasing the quality, talent and strength of our basketball. It is also a reflection of the outstanding moment women’s basketball is experiencing in Spain.”
“We are going to be more united in these times: together, we do things better,” agreed ACB president and former Real Madrid player Antonio Martín, who is looking ahead to the new season with excitement. “The clubs are the main protagonists, because they are the ones who make everything shine. There are 18 rosters ready to compete and ensure we have a thrilling season. In addition, the policy of opening up new windows [to the public] will increase visibility and make it easier to get people talking about basketball in the streets.”
