On April 26, 2026, Real Madrid secured a decisive home victory in the EuroLeague play-in game against Valencia, winning 103–82 to clinch the final spot in the quarterfinals. The win came after a strong performance in all four quarters, with the Spanish team leading 27–25, 29–19, 21–19, and 26–19.
The victory means Real Madrid will face the regular season champions, Olympiacos Piraeus, in a best-of-three quarterfinal series. Mario Hezonja led the scoring effort for Madrid with 19 points, followed by Džanan Musa with 16, Alberto Abalde with 13, Facundo Campazzo with 12, and Walter Tavares with 10.
On the opposing side, Shabazz Napier contributed 19 points for Valencia, while Andreas Obst added 12 and Devin Booker scored 10.
This marks Real Madrid’s second attempt to qualify for the EuroLeague elite eight after failing to advance in their first try earlier in April, when they lost 73–81 to Paris Basketball in Madrid.
In the quarterfinals, Paris Basketball will face Fenerbahçe Istanbul, coached by Sarunas Jasikevicius, who was named the season’s best coach.
The play-in games began on April 22 and concluded on May 7, with a potential deciding game if needed. The EuroLeague Final Four is scheduled for May 23–25 in Abu Dhabi, where Panathinaikos Athens is among the teams competing for the championship title.
