Euroleague Basketball announced a series of changes and clarifications to the rules that will apply to the first Euroleague Basketball SuperCup of 2026, as well as to the 2026-27 seasons of the EuroLeague and the BKT EuroCup.
The updates rewrite the guidance on what counts as an "act of shooting" and replace the unsportsmanlike foul with two new categories of offence. Euroleague Basketball also confirmed several rules, adapted from the standard regulations of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), that remain in effect for the coming season.
Act of Shooting Clarified
Under the new guidance, a jump shot or other shot begins the moment a player moves their shoulders and the ball upward toward the basket, and the player must be in the frontcourt, having crossed halfcourt, for the shot to count. The move to the basket is judged separately: the act of shooting typically begins between the three-point line and the basket, once the player gathers the ball, and continues through the shooting motion until the ball is released.
The guidance also addresses specific scenarios. Rip-through contact, where a shooter swings the ball from side to side into a defender, is now always a floor foul rather than a shooting foul. Contact with a shooter's hand during the follow-through is legal only if it is minor and occurs cleanly after the ball is released, while contact with the side of the hand, wrist, arm or body is still always a foul. If a defender steps into a shooter's landing space and the shooter's foot touches the defender's foot, that is now called as a foul rather than the previous unsportsmanlike foul.
Technical Fouls Split Into Two Categories
Technical fouls are now divided into two categories. Category 1 counts toward ejection from the game and covers disrespectful communication, taunting an opponent, blocking a player's line of sight and faking a foul.
Category 2 does not count toward ejection and covers delaying the game, hanging on the rim after a dunk, and defending against the final free throw.
A player is ejected from the game after two Category 1 technical fouls, two flagrant fouls, or a combination of the two. A head coach is ejected after two personal Category 1 technical fouls, or three Category 1 technical fouls linked to bench behaviour, whether all three are charged to the bench or one is charged personally to the coach.
Unsportsmanlike Foul Replaced by Two New Offences
The unsportsmanlike foul has been replaced by two separate violations. A disruptive foul covers contact that interrupts the flow of the game and puts an opponent at a disadvantage without being serious enough to be unsportsmanlike, such as fouling to stop a fast break or to stop the clock at the end of a quarter. A flagrant foul covers contact that is not a legal act, or that is reckless, violent or dangerous. Both carry the same penalty as the old unsportsmanlike foul, but only a flagrant foul counts toward ejection.
Other Rules Carried Over This Season
Several rules that are not new for 2026-27 but diverge from standard FIBA regulations remain in place, and tend to come up when a decision is disputed.
Under the defensive semicircle rule, a second defender positioned inside the semicircle in front of the basket, who does not jump vertically to defend, will be charged with a blocking foul if an attacking player who is airborne collides with them inside that space, unless the attacker was not airborne at the moment of contact, had already received the ball inside the semicircle, or led with a leg, knee or elbow.
Head coaches keep the right to two coach challenges per game, but lose one if it is not used within the first 38 minutes. A challenge can be made at any point in the game for any situation on the list eligible for review through the Instant Replay System, with one exception: coaches cannot challenge which player committed a foul. Referees can review the identity of the player charged with a foul on their own initiative to correct a recording error, but that process cannot be triggered by a coach.
A head coach is automatically ejected if they, or anyone else on the team's bench list, steps onto the court and interferes with an opposing team's fast break. Referees will no longer issue a warning before calling a technical foul for behaviour or for faking an injury or fall, known as flopping; warnings are kept only for delay-of-game situations.
If a fight breaks out, substitutes, players who have already fouled out, and the rest of the bench personnel are barred from entering the court. They will not be automatically ejected for stepping in to help restore order, as long as the Instant Replay System confirms they did not actively take part in the fight.
Only a head coach can sign the game report under protest, and it must be done during the first stoppage of play after the disputed decision. If the head coach has already been ejected, the assistant coach takes on that responsibility.
Games and overtime periods start with a jump ball at centre court. After that, the team that did not win the opening possession throws the ball in to start both the second and third quarters, while the team that won the opening possession throws in from the sideline to start the fourth quarter. Players are allowed to run the baseline to release the ball. A jump ball between the two nearest opponents is also used for a number of specific situations, such as a double violation on free throws or when a goaltending call is overturned in a phase where neither team had possession of the ball at the moment the violation was whistled.
Euroleague Basketball said it reviews, clarifies and adjusts specific rules every season, reaffirming its commitment to maintaining the highest standards for players, coaches and referees while continuing to offer fans the most competitive and fair competition.
