ACB playoffs enter a semifinal rarely seen in Spain: Barcelona lead against Tenerife, Valencia open the series with Joventut
The semifinals of the Spanish basketball Liga Endesa, namely the ACB playoffs for the 2025/26 season, have opened under the sign of unusual balance and major quarterfinal surprises. According to official ACB data, for the first time in playoff history, three clubs that did not enter the quarterfinals with home-court advantage have reached the semifinals: Barça, Asisa Joventut and La Laguna Tenerife. The only club among the top four seeds that justified its status as favourite was Valencia Basket, the second-placed team from the regular-season league stage. Such an outcome has added extra uncertainty to the final phase of the competition, because clubs of different profiles, rhythms and ambitions remain in the title race.
The first semifinal pairing consists of Barça and La Laguna Tenerife, and the second of Valencia Basket and Asisa Joventut. The series are played as best-of-five, in a 2-2-1 format, which means that the better-placed clubs from the regular-season league stage have home court in the first two meetings and in a possible fifth game. According to the schedule published by the ACB, Barcelona and Tenerife opened their series on June 9, 2026, while Valencia and Joventut play their first duel on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at 8 p.m. Central European Time. Given that the quarterfinals also brought away wins at decisive moments, home-court advantage itself ahead of the semifinals no longer seems like a guarantee of progression.
Barcelona started convincingly and took a 1-0 lead
The first game of the semifinals already delivered a clear scoreline signal. According to the ACB report, Barça defeated La Laguna Tenerife 100-67 on June 9 at Palau Blaugrana and took a 1-0 lead in the series. Xavi Pascual's team controlled the game from start to finish, and the official ACB statistics show that the home side made 13 three-pointers from 27 attempts, while Tenerife remained at three made shots from beyond the arc out of 18 attempts. Barcelona also had a pronounced rebounding advantage, 41-28, which further reduced the visitors' room for a comeback.
In its report, the ACB states that Darío Brizuela was Barcelona's top scorer with 18 points, while Toko Shengelia, with 14 points, was highlighted as the player with the highest valuation performance in the winning team. Tenerife, who eliminated Real Madrid in the quarterfinals, failed to repeat the level of play that had brought them two wins in Madrid. Kevin Yebo was the most effective player for the visitors with 16 points, while Marcelinho Huertas and Patty Mills stayed below their usual offensive output. According to the ACB, Barcelona built a 19-point lead in the first half, and the final stretch of the game turned into controlled protection of the result and distribution of minutes.
The second game of the same series is scheduled for Thursday, June 11, also in Barcelona. After that, the series moves to Tenerife, where the third meeting is scheduled for Saturday, June 13. If necessary, the fourth game will be played on June 15 in Tenerife, and a possible fifth on June 17 in Barcelona. According to the ACB's analysis of first games in best-of-five semifinals, the club that takes a 1-0 lead has historically held a major advantage, but this season's playoffs have already shown that statistical patterns do not have to decide a series.
The quarterfinals changed the playoff hierarchy
The biggest reason why this year's semifinals are being described as one of the most unpredictable is the way expected projections collapsed after the regular-season league stage. According to the ACB, in the history of the Liga Endesa playoffs, which in the ACB era has been counted since 1984, never before had three teams without seeded status simultaneously advanced to the semifinals. Until now, at most two seeded teams had been known to fall in the quarterfinals in the same season. This year, Real Madrid as the first seed, Kosner Baskonia as the third and UCAM Murcia as the fourth seed were eliminated.
La Laguna Tenerife produced the biggest surprise by eliminating Real Madrid 2-1 on aggregate. According to the ACB's official results overview, Tenerife first won in Madrid 98-97, then lost at home 83-118, and then in the decisive duel won again in Madrid, 107-95. In doing so, the eighth seed eliminated the first, which is an exceptionally rare outcome in the Spanish playoffs. The ACB also recalled that the elimination of the first seed by the eighth had been recorded only once before this season.
Barcelona reached the semifinals through UCAM Murcia, also after three games. The ACB published that Barça first won in Murcia 91-68, then lost at home 87-90, and then in the third meeting again triumphed away, 100-76. That run is especially important for the context of the semifinals, because Barcelona won two of their three quarterfinal games outside their own arena and continued the rhythm with a win over Tenerife in the first semifinal meeting. For a team that finished the league stage in fifth place, such a path underlines a change of form in the most important part of the season.
Valencia are the only one of the leading teams that settled their quarterfinal without a decisive game. According to the ACB, Pedro Martínez's team beat Surne Bilbao 83-80 at home and 88-71 away, becoming the first confirmed semifinalist. Asisa Joventut, on the other hand, took a harder path against Baskonia. After a 71-85 defeat in Vitoria, the club from Badalona responded with an 82-63 home win, and then in the decisive game at Buesa Arena celebrated 96-88. In its report, the ACB highlighted Ricky Rubio, who scored 23 points and collected 28 valuation points in that win.
Valencia and Joventut open the series at Roig Arena
The second semifinal pairing begins on June 10 at Roig Arena, where Valencia Basket host Asisa Joventut. According to Valencia Basket's preview, this is a series between two teams entering the final phase with the strongest defensive indicators of the season. The Valencian club states that its team has the best defensive efficiency in the league, while Joventut concede the fewest points per game. Such a combination points to a different type of series from the open rhythm in which Barcelona often operate, although Valencia also remain one of the most efficient offensive teams in the competition.
Valencia enter the semifinals with home-court advantage thanks to second place in the regular-season league stage. According to the club preview, this is the eleventh semifinal series in the history of Valencia Basket's men's team in Liga Endesa and the fourth in which they have home-court advantage. The club also states that they will continue to be without the injured Xabi López-Arostegui and Josep Puerto in the series. Although these are important absences, Valencia have shown depth of rotation and the ability for different players to take on offensive responsibility in the final part of the season.
Joventut arrive at Roig Arena with a different kind of capital: a series of wins on difficult away courts and new momentum after eliminating Baskonia. According to Valencia Basket, the club from Badalona have in recent weeks celebrated on the courts of Real Madrid, La Laguna Tenerife and Baskonia, confirming that they do not rely exclusively on the home environment. The central figure remains Ricky Rubio, but he does not carry the offensive burden alone. Valencia's club preview also highlights Cameron Hunt, Adam Hanga, Jabari Parker, Simon Birgander and Yannis Morin, while the injury to Ante Tomić is cited as an important context for Joventut's interior line.
Ricky Rubio and Joventut's experience against Valencia's depth
Rubio's return to the centre of the ACB playoffs is one of the important narratives of the semifinals. According to the ACB report, against Baskonia he recorded the best offensive performance of his Liga Endesa playoff career, with 23 points. The ACB also states that this will be his seventh Liga Endesa semifinal in the eight ACB seasons in which he has played the playoffs. For Joventut, who through history have often been a symbol of the development of homegrown players and competitive stubbornness, such a Rubio carries both playing and symbolic weight.
But Valencia enter the series with arguments that go beyond mere seeded status. According to club data, they have already beaten Joventut twice in Valencia this season: 102-90 in the regular-season league stage and 95-84 in the quarterfinal of the King's Cup. Joventut replied in this season's head-to-head meetings with a 90-87 win in Badalona, showing that the difference between the teams is not one-sided. Valencia Basket also states that this will be only the second meeting between these clubs in the ACB playoffs, after the quarterfinal from the 2002/03 season, when Valencia won 3-0.
Valencia coach Pedro Martínez, ahead of the game, according to the club announcement, warned that in playoffs like these the status of favourite must be treated with caution. Valencia, regardless of home-court advantage, are aware that Joventut have just eliminated a team that finished the league stage with the same win-loss record as they did. That statement well describes the general mood in the ACB after the quarterfinals: the hierarchy from the regular season remains relevant, but it is no longer enough to draw a conclusion about who has control over a series.
Semifinal schedule and possible path to the final
According to the ACB schedule, Barcelona and La Laguna Tenerife play the second game on June 11 at 8 p.m., while Valencia Basket and Asisa Joventut play their second meeting on June 12 at the same time. The third games are scheduled for June 13 in the Barcelona - Tenerife series and June 14 in the Valencia - Joventut series. If the series are not finished after three games, the fourth meetings will be played on June 15 and June 16 respectively, and possible fifth games on June 17 and June 18.
- Barça - La Laguna Tenerife: Barcelona lead 1-0 after a 100-67 win in the first game.
- Valencia Basket - Asisa Joventut: the first game is played on June 10 at 8 p.m. at Roig Arena.
- The series are played as best-of-five, in a 2-2-1 format.
- According to the ACB, the times of the semifinals and finals may be subject to change.
The finals schedule will depend on the length of the semifinal series. The ACB states that, if both series end in three games, the final could begin on June 18. If at least one semifinal series goes to four games or more, the start of the final is planned for June 20. In this way, the final phase remains open organisationally as well, not only sportingly, because the rhythm of rest and preparation can become an important factor for clubs that have already gone through demanding quarterfinals.
The broader meaning of an even season
This year's Liga Endesa final phase confirms the trend of ever greater competitiveness in Spanish club basketball. According to the ACB, the difference between first and sixth place in the regular-season league stage has never been smaller in the current format, and nuances decided among the top teams. This explains why the quarterfinals were decided by individual performances, defensive adjustments and the ability to play away, not only by the ranking after 34 rounds. In such an environment, each semifinal pairing carries its own tension: Barcelona are seeking confirmation of their rise in form, Tenerife are trying to show that toppling Real Madrid was not an isolated miracle, Valencia want to use the most stable season among the remaining seeds, and Joventut are trying to extend their away run and Rubio's return momentum.
For Liga Endesa, this semifinal also carries promotional weight, because in the final phase there is no simple story of expected dominance. According to ACB reports and Spanish sports media, the season has brought an exceptionally high offensive rhythm, but also the growing importance of team defence in the playoffs. That is precisely why the duels between Barcelona and Tenerife and between Valencia and Joventut offer not only a fight for the final, but also a clash of different playing models. After the first meeting, Barcelona have a scoreline advantage, but the second semifinal pairing still has to answer the question of whether Valencia can maintain the status of the most reliable remaining seed or whether Joventut will add another surprise to playoffs that have already disrupted almost all initial forecasts.
Sources:
- ACB / Liga Endesa – official schedule of the Liga Endesa 2026 playoffs and times of semifinal games (link)
- ACB / Liga Endesa – official overview of quarterfinal results and the semifinal playoff bracket (link)
- ACB / Liga Endesa – analysis of the historic qualification of three non-seeded teams for the semifinals (link)
- ACB / EFE – report from the first semifinal game Barça - La Laguna Tenerife 100-67 (link)
- Valencia Basket Club – preview of the Valencia Basket - Asisa Joventut semifinal series, roster data, absences and head-to-head meetings (link)
- Club Joventut Badalona – club schedule and preview of the start of the semifinal series at Roig Arena (link)