Final Four countdown begins
Tickets for this season’s Euroleague Final Four tournament, to be held in Athens at the OAKA Olympic basketball arena between May 4 and 6, have gone on sale via the competition’s official website (www.euroleague.net) at prices ranging from 75 to 500 euros. According to sources, the total number of Final Four tickets to be made available, all online, will range between 8,000 and 10,000. Participating teams will be entitled to 1,000 tickets each for distribution to their fans, while the remainder will be reserved for sponsors, guests and journalists. With archrivals Panathinaikos and Olympiakos being among the early favorites for berths at this season’s Euroleague Final Four, organizers have already mapped out seating arrangements that would keep the rival Greek fans as far apart as possible inside the OAKA stadium. After nine rounds of first-stage group play completed, Panathinaikos, competing in Group B, remains the 24-team competition’s only undefeated side with an impressive 9-0 record. Olympiakos, doing battle in Group A, lies second with a 7-2 record, one win behind front-runner Tau Ceramica. Olympiakos holds a two-win advantage over its nearest rival, third-placed Efes Pilsen. Thessaloniki club Aris, Greece’s other Euroleague representative, is currently fifth in Group C, one win ahead of Eldo Napoli. Defending champion CSKA Moscow, with Greece guard Thodoris Papaloukas among its leading players, is the group’s leader with an 8-1 record, one win ahead of Barcelona. The top five teams from all three groups and the sixth-placed team with the best record advance to the Euroleague’s next round, where 16 teams will be divided into four groups. The top two from each will carry on to the quarterfinals. Online ticket buyers can either arrange for ticket deliveries – once the sale procedure has ended – or collect from the OAKA stadium from May 2 onward, according to the the Final Four tournament’s organizer. Tickets cover all four games to be contested at the Final Four tournament.
