Basketball Champions League Americas
The Basketball Champions League Americas (BCLA) (Spanish: Liga de Campeones de Baloncesto de las Américas, Portuguese: Liga dos Campeões de Basquetebol das Américas) is Pan-America's premier men's basketball club competition. Founded in 2019, it replaced the FIBA Americas League as the highest level league in the Americas. The winner of each year's competition qualifies to the annual FIBA Intercontinental Cup.
| Organising body | FIBA Americas |
|---|---|
| Founded | 24 September 2019 |
| First season | 2019–20 |
| Country | FIBA Americas member countries |
| Confederation | FIBA Americas |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Promotion to | Intercontinental Cup |
| Current champions | Quimsa (2nd title) (2023–24) |
| Most championships | Quimsa (2 titles) |
| TV partners | YouTube (live games occasionally) |
| Website | BCLAmericas.basketball |
| 2023–24 BCL Americas | |
Each season exists of 12 teams that qualify through their domestic leagues and the league is typically organized between December and April of the following calendar year.
Thus far the league has been won by four different teams, Quimsa from Argentina is the only team to win two championships.
History
On 24 September 2019, FIBA launched the Panamerican competition, which derives its name and branding from the European Basketball Champions League.[1] The competition replaced the FIBA Americas League as premier league in the Americas, President Horacio Muratore stated: "This is not a succession of Liga de las Américas, but rather a new product of our development project that will foster a balance between representation and quality".[2] The competition consisted of twelve teams, which had to qualify through their domestic leagues. The inaugural season started on October 28, 2019. On October 30, 2021, Quimsa won the inaugural championship after winning the final in Montevideo. Canadian clubs Edmonton Stingers and Brampton Honey Badgers are the only North American teams to participate in the competition so far.
Format
As for the competition's format, the first phase of the BCLA will feature four groups of three teams each, with two qualifying teams per group that move on to the Quarter-Finals, which will be a best-of-three series. The Semi-Finals and the Final will also be decided in a best-of-three format.[1]
Results
List of seasons
| Edition | Year | Hosts | Champions | Score and Venue | Runners-up | Third place | Score and Venue | Fourth place | No. of teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019–20 | Montevideo |
Quimsa |
92–86[lower-alpha 1] Antel Arena, Montevideo |
Flamengo |
San Lorenzo and Instituto | 12 | ||
| 2 | 2021 | Managua |
Flamengo |
84–80 Alexis Arguello Sports Complex, Managua |
Real Estelí |
Minas |
75–58 Alexis Arguello Sports Complex, Managua |
São Paulo | |
| 3 | 2021–22 | Rio de Janeiro |
São Paulo |
98–84 Carioca Arena 1, Rio de Janeiro |
Biguá |
123 Minas |
91–81 Carioca Arena 1, Rio de Janeiro |
Quimsa | |
| 4 | 2022–23 | Franca |
Sesi Franca |
88–79 Pedrocão, Franca |
Flamengo |
123 Minas |
94–81 Pedrocão, Franca |
Quimsa | |
| 5 | 2023–24 | Santiago del Estero | Quimsa |
92–80 Estadio Ciudad, Santiago del Estero |
Flamengo |
Halcones de Xalapa |
101–99 (OT) Estado Ciudad, Santiago del Estero |
Hebraica Macabi | |
- The 2020 final originally consisted of a best-of-three series, but it was changed to a single game in a neutral venue due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
Performance
Medals (2019–2024)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 2 | Argentina | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | Nicaragua | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Uruguay | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 5 | Mexico | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (5 entries) | 5 | 5 | 6 | 16 | |
Performance by club
| Club | Titles | Runners-up | Years won | Years runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quimsa | 2 | — | 2020, 2024 | — |
| Flamengo | 1 | 3 | 2021 | 2020, 2023, 2024 |
| São Paulo | 1 | — | 2022 | — |
| Franca | 1 | — | 2023 | — |
| Real Estelí | — | 1 | — | 2021 |
| Biguá | — | 1 | — | 2022 |
Performance by country
| Country | Titles | Runners-up | Years won | Years runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 3 | 3 | 2021, 2022, 2023 | 2020, 2023, 2024 |
| Argentina | 2 | — | 2020, 2024 | — |
| Nicaragua | — | 1 | — | 2021 |
| Uruguay | — | 1 | — | 2022 |
Performance by head coach
Only one head coach has appeared in multiple finals, as Gustavo de Conti of Flamengo coached in four.
| Head coach | Winner | Runner-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gustavo de Conti | 1 |
3 |
2021 | 2020, 2023, 2024 |
| Jorge Sebastián González | 1 |
— |
2020 | — |
| Bruno Mortari | 1 |
— |
2022 | — |
| Helinho | 1 |
— |
2023 | — |
| Leandro Ramella | 1 |
— |
2024 | — |
| David Rosario | — |
1 |
— |
2021 |
| Diego Gutiérrez | — |
1 |
— |
2022 |
All-time participants
The following is a list of clubs who have played in the Basketball Champions League Americas at any time since its formation in 2019 to the current season.
| 1st | Champions | |||||
| 2nd | Runners-up | |||||
| 3rd | Third place | |||||
| 4th | Fourth place | |||||
| SF | Semifinalists | |||||
| QF | Quarterfinalists | |||||
| RS | Regular season | |||||
| Q | Qualified for upcoming season | |||||
| Team | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | Total seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boca Juniors | — | — | QF | — | RS | 2 |
| Instituto | SF | RS | — | RS | — | 3 |
| Obras Sanitarias | — | RS | RS | RS | QF | 4 |
| Quimsa | 1st | QF | 4th | 4th | 1st | 5 |
| San Lorenzo | SF | QF | — | — | — | 2 |
| Flamengo | 2nd | 1st | QF | 2nd | 2nd | 5 |
| Franca | QF | QF | — | 1st | QF | 4 |
| Minas | — | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | — | 3 |
| Mogi das Cruzes | QF | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| São Paulo | — | 4th | 1st | — | RS | 3 |
| Brampton Honey Badgers | — | — | — | RS | — | 1 |
| Edmonton Stingers | — | — | RS | — | — | 1 |
| CD Valdivia | RS | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Universidad de Concepción | — | RS | RS | QF | RS | 4 |
| Titanes de Barranquilla | — | RS | — | — | — | 1 |
| Capitanes | RS | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Halcones de Xalapa | — | — | — | — | 3rd | 1 |
| Fuerza Regia | QF | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Libertadores de Querétaro | — | — | — | QF | — | 1 |
| Real Estelí | QF | 2nd | QF | QF | QF | 5 |
| Caballos de Coclé | — | QF | — | — | — | 1 |
| Cangrejeros de Santurce | — | — | QF | — | — | 1 |
| Aguada | RS | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Biguá | RS | — | 2nd | RS | — | 3 |
| Hebraica Macabi | — | — | — | — | 4th | 1 |
| Nacional | — | — | RS | – | QF | 2 |
| Peñarol | — | — | — | QF | — | 1 |
| Gladiadores de Anzoátegui | — | — | — | — | RS | 1 |
All-time table
- As of the end of the 2023–24 season.
| Rank | Club | SP | Pld | W | L | W | RU | SF | QF | RS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flamengo | 5 | 44 | 37 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Quimsa | 5 | 45 | 28 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | Real Estelí | 5 | 40 | 22 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 4 | Franca | 4 | 31 | 21 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 5 | São Paulo | 3 | 22 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Minas | 3 | 28 | 15 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | San Lorenzo | 2 | 15 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | Halcones de Xalapa | 1 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Biguá | 3 | 19 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | Instituto | 3 | 20 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | Obras Sanitarias | 4 | 24 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 12 | Boca Juniors | 2 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 13 | Libertadores de Querétaro | 1 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | Nacional | 2 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | Hebraica Macabi | 1 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Edmonton Stingers | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | Caballos de Coclé | 1 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | Cangrejeros de Santurce | 1 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 19 | Universidad de Concepción | 4 | 24 | 3 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 20 | Mogi das Cruzes | 1 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | Gladiadores de Anzoátegui | 1 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 22 | Titanes de Barranquilla | 1 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 23 | Peñarol | 1 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 24 | Aguada | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 25 | Capitanes | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 26 | Fuerza Regia | 1 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 27 | CD Valdivia | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 28 | Brampton Honey Badgers | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Broadcasting rights
In selected South American countries, the tournament aired live on DSports. In Puerto Rico, available via WAPA-TV. In the United States, available via FanDuel TV. In Brazil, available via Globo's SporTV. For countries without broadcasting rights, BCLA also available via Basketball Champions League Americas YouTube channel.
References
- "Basketball Champions League Americas is launched". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
- "Basketball Champions League Americas is launched". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
This is not a succession of Liga de las Américas, but rather a new product of our development project that will foster a balance between representation and quality.
- "BCL Americas Final will be held in Montevideo, Uruguay". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 14 October 2020.