EuroLeague names eight Final Four referees

Euroleague Basketball named the eight referees for the 2026 Final Four on Saturday, six days before the season-ending event opens in Athens. The league said the tournament will run from May 22 to May 24 as the semifinals and championship game decide the title. The officiating list includes veterans with repeated Final Four assignments and two officials making their debuts on that stage. (euroleaguebasketball.net) The announcement came as EuroLeague also pushed final ticketing and fan-event details for the Athens weekend. ### Which referees were selected for Athens? The Euroleague Basketball Officiating Department listed Mehdi Difallah, Luka Kardum, Milos Koljensic, Olegs Latisevs, Robert Lottermoser, Milan Nedovic, Carlos Peruga and Sreten Radovic as the eight referees for the Final Four. (euroleaguebasketball.net) EuroLeague said the group will work the 2026 Final Four Athens presented by Etihad. The league said Kardum and Koljensic will be making their Final Four debuts. Latisevs is set for his 12th Final Four, Lottermoser for his 11th, Difallah for his seventh and Radovic for his fifth, according to the league announcement. Peruga will work his third Final Four and Nedovic his second, the league said. (euroleaguebasketball.net) ### What stands out in the referee group? EuroLeague said the eight officials combine for 109 seasons of EuroLeague experience and 55 Final Four games. The league described the group as a mix of seasoned veterans and first-time Final Four officials. Mundo Deportivo reported that three of the selected referees — Lottermoser, Nedovic and Peruga — were also part of the crew at the 2025 Final Four in Abu Dhabi. (euroleaguebasketball.net) EuroLeague’s own announcement said those same three worked the 2025 championship game. BasketNews’ May 8, 2025 report on the Abu Dhabi assignments showed Lottermoser, Peruga and Nedovic among the eight referees selected for last year’s Final Four. (euroleaguebasketball.net) That 2025 group also included Ilija Belosevic, Carmelo Paternico, Emilio Perez Pizarro and Arturas Sukys, who are not on this year’s Athens list. ### Which teams are playing, and when? (euroleaguebasketball.net) EuroLeague said the 2026 Final Four will begin on Friday, May 22, with Olympiacos Piraeus against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. The second semifinal will match Valencia Basket against Real Madrid later the same day, according to the league. The championship game is scheduled for Sunday, May 24, at 21:00 local time in Athens, EuroLeague said in its ticketing information. (mundodeportivo.com) EuroLeague also said the adidas NextGen EuroLeague championship game will be played earlier that day and will replace the traditional third-place game. (basketnews.com) ### What is happening with tickets before the games? EuroLeague said on May 15 that it opened the official resale platform for fans who bought tickets in any of the four sold-out public sales phases and can no longer attend. The league said the resale platform is the only authorized resale channel and will remain open until Sunday, May 17, at 22:59 CEST. (euroleaguebasketball.net) The league said tickets in this first resale stage may only be resold as full packages covering both Friday and Sunday games. EuroLeague also said all ticket holders must complete a registration process with personal information to gain access to Telekom Arena under Greek legislation. (euroleaguebasketball.net) ### What else is planned around the Final Four weekend? EuroLeague’s Final Four page listed “EuroLeague FanZone takes over Athens” among the event updates published ahead of the games. The same page also listed the referee announcement, the official ticket resale platform and entertainment programming tied to the championship game. (euroleaguebasketball.net) EuroLeague’s event coverage also said DJ Dimitri Vegas will present the championship game opening ceremony, titled “The Big Bang!” The league has branded the event as the 2026 EuroLeague Final Four Athens presented by Etihad across its referee, ticketing and event updates. May 20 is the next key date for ticket holders, when EuroLeague said personalized nominal tickets will become available for download after the registration window closes. (euroleaguebasketball.net) The semifinals follow on May 22, before the title game on May 24 in Athens. (euroleaguebasketball.net 1) (euroleaguebasketball.net 2)