Photo: fiba.basketball

Lithuania’s Betsson LKL has moved up one position in Eurohoops’ ranking of Europe’s strongest domestic basketball leagues for the 2026-27 season.

The Lithuanian competition is now ranked eighth, moving ahead of Israel’s Winner’s League, which dropped one position to ninth.

A major reason for Lithuania’s improvement is the recent success of BC Rytas. The club won the Basketball Champions League and is also aiming to secure a place in NBA Europe through qualification.

Despite that progress, the competitive difference between Zalgiris and the rest of the Lithuanian league remains a concern.

Zalgiris continues to hold a major advantage over its domestic opponents, limiting the overall balance of the competition.

Germany’s easyCredit BBL remains directly ahead of Lithuania in seventh place, while the AdmiralBet ABA League is sixth. Israel and Poland complete the top 10 behind the LKL.

The ranking could become increasingly important as European basketball changes. NBA Europe is preparing for a 2027 launch, while FIBA plans to introduce its own ranking of domestic leagues.

FIBA’s system is expected to play a role in determining which teams qualify for an end-of-season tournament offering two places in the new league, potentially giving domestic competitions such as the LKL greater importance in the developing European basketball structure.