In the opening match, Joventut aims to confirm the 'host curse' as the local Valencia Basket, second favorites in betting, have only won two of the last 33 editions held in concentration venues. The last host victory came 24 years ago when Tau triumphed in Vitoria in 2002.
Following this, the tournament features a showdown between big favorite Real Madrid and reigning champion Unicaja, who has been a dominant force in recent cup competitions with titles in 2025 and 2023.