The 2025 Greek Basketball Cup Final 8 takes place in Crete for the fourth year in a row and features two powerhouses in Panathinaikos and Olympiacos, who are slated to compete in the title game.
All around Europe, it's a time for a little break in the domestic leagues, which the local cups will fill, and the Greek Basketball Cup is no exception.
In just a few days, teams will fight for the second domestic title of the season. The tension and the excitement that the domestic cups generate are something that can't usually be found during the regular season of the local leagues.
If you're missing some info or details about these competitions, there's no need to worry because we've got you covered.
This article will focus on the Greek Basketball Cup, which returns to Heraklion, Crete, from Feb. 12 to Feb. 16.
The main points of reference can be summed up in the following:
Greek Basketball Cup Format
Despite several months marked by indecisiveness with regard to the host city of the tournament, the Greek Basketball Federation decided to keep the Final 8 format, which was first introduced in 2022.
The federation's motto is "basketball is a celebration," which is why its chairman, Vangelis Liolios, always declared that a Final 8 would be the ideal solution so that fans from all over Greece could watch the event.
Of the eight teams present in Heraklion, seven won their place on the basis of the Greek Basket League standings at the end of the first round and after 11 games, from top-seeded Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens to seventh-placed Peristeri.
The team that completes the picture is Megarida, the second-division leaders, who have won 18 of their Elite league games.
To determine the pairings leading up to the title game, a draw was held. Panathinaikos and Olympiacos Piraeus were placed on opposite sides of the table, which means that the two main rivals can only face off in the final on Feb. 16.
Greek Basketball Cup Teams
- Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens
- Olympiacos Piraeus
- AEK Betsson
- PAOK mateco Thessaloniki
- Peristeri Athens
- Promitheas Patras
- Karditsa
- Megarida
Greek Basketball Cup Schedule
Quarter-finals
- Feb. 12, 16:00 CET: Promitheas Patras 86-77 Megarida (1)
- Feb. 12, 19:15 CET: Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens 93-63 Peristeri (2)
- Feb. 13, 16:00 CET: PAOK 84-65 AEK Betsson (3)
- Feb. 13, 19:15 CET: Olympiacos Piraeus 71-54 Karditsa (4)
Semi-finals
- Feb. 14, 16:00 CET: Promitheas Patras 73-91 Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (5)
- Feb. 14, 19:15 CET: PAOK 75-94 Olympiacos Piraeus (6)
Final
- Feb. 16, 19:15 CET: Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. Olympiacos Piraeus
Greek Basketball Cup talking points
- Panathinaikos hold the record for most wins (20) and finals played (27). The Greens have made it to the title game on 18 of the last 20 occasions. They were eliminated in the quarter-finals in 2018 and the semis in 2023.
- Panathinaikos will suit up without several key players. Big men Mathias Lessort and Omer Yurtseven are long-term injured, Marius Grigonis is expected to be back after the Final 8, while the club recently parted ways with Kostas Antetokounmpo. That leaves PAO with one center (Wenyen Gabriel) at coach Ergin Ataman's disposal.
- Olympiacos have won 12 Cups in 19 attempts. The Reds have a 6-0 edge over Panathinaikos in single elimination games since 2022, including Greek SuperCup finals (3-0).
- In contrast to the league finals, the two powerhouses have squared off in a Cup final only two times (2022, 2024) since 2013.
- Olympiacos are heading to Crete without Luca Vildoza, who has been ruled out with a left leg contusion. Shaquielle McKissic will take the Argentine's place in the squad.
- AEK last won the Cup in 2020 under current Promitheas coach Ilias Papatheodorou. They are counting on Hunter Hale's perimeter shooting, RaiQuan Gray's physicality, and Mindaugas Kuzminskas' experience.
- Promitheas' top scorer (16.5 ppg), Jordan Walker, is returning from an injury that kept him sidelined for almost two months.
Greek Basketball Cup venue
The gym, "Dyo Aorakia," is named after the two hills surrounding the area of Nea Alikarnassos in Heraklion, where the installation is located.
Crete's biggest indoor hall was officially inaugurated in 2007. Starting from 2010, when the Greek All-Star Game was hosted, the gym has been the seat for many events, including seven Greek Cup finals (2014, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022-24).
It has a capacity for 5.200 spectators, and it's slated to be full, as tickets to Sunday's final are already sold out.
The federation, in accordance with the local police force, decided that fans aren't allowed to carry or hang any banners. The same goes for any item (jerseys, scarves) that could be associated with any of the participating teams.
These restrictions have contributed to an atmosphere of sterilization that is hardly experienced in Greece whenever teams with such fanbases co-exist.
Even if those measures aim at discouraging hooligans from entering the arena by enforcing strict controls, anything that could add a special tone to the event is also banned.
In order to avoid the worst-case scenario, Liolios has made sure no incidents are ever to take place on his watch.
One can also argue that a Final 8 that gathers the teams with the largest and loudest fanbases in Greece deserves a bigger venue. But that's another story, one the Greek federation has been persistently unwilling to look at since they adhere to the motto "better safe than sorry."
Throwback to last year
- In last year's final, Olympiacos beat Panathinaikos 69-58, capturing their third straight title. Moustapha Fall was named the MVP of the tournament for the second time in a row.
