From September 24 to 25, Belgrade will host the fifth VTB United League SuperCup. We have prepared a guide to this tournament for you.
What is the SuperCup?
The Super Cup is the official pre-season tournament of the VTB United League, preceding the start of the championship. Leading clubs from Eastern Europe and Asia will compete for the prestigious trophy in what will be a dress rehearsal for the season. For the first time in history, the matches will be held outside Russia, in the Serbian capital of Belgrade.
Format and schedule
The tournament will be held in Final Four format.
September 24. Semifinals
16:00 (17:00 Moscow time) Crvena Zvezda vs. CSKA
19:00 (20:00 Moscow time) Zenit vs. Dubai
September 25. Final day
17:00 (18:00 Moscow time) Third-place game
20:00 (21:00 Moscow time) Final
How to get to the Belgrade Arena
The SuperCup 2025 Arena is located at Bulevar Arsenija Carnojevica 58, Belgrade
Buses: 17, 18, 67, 68, 74, 88, 601 (stop at the arena)
Tram: lines 7, 9, 11L2, 12L2 (Sava Centar stop, 1.5 km walk)
Rail: Novi Beograd station (1.2 km walk).
Tickets:
VTB United League SuperCup website
Yandex Afisha
Where to watch the games
Given the location of the tournament, the issue of broadcasts for Russian basketball fans is particularly important. Last week, VK Video and the VTB United League announced a partnership, the platform received the digital rights to broadcast all games of the new 2025/26 season, including the SuperCup. You can also watch the main preseason tournament on the official website and in the VTB League Android and iOS app.
Background
The VTB United League SuperCup started in 2021, but its history began much earlier: the tournament was previously named the Aleksandr Gomelsky Cup. 3 years ago, the Moscow Sports Department began organizing the classic pre-season tournament in partnership with the League. The trophy was named after the legendary coach.
CSKA became the first winner of the SuperCup, then Zenit won twice in a row, and in 2024, the Army team regained the title.
In its second year of existence, the SuperCup became an international – the 4 Russian teams were joined by Serbian Mega and Partizan. This year, foreign teams are also participating, with the traditionally flexible SuperCup format once again being the same as in 2022.
Participants
Four clubs will take part in the SuperCup 2025: the two strongest teams in the VTB League of the 2024/25 season – CSKA and Zenit, as well as Crvena Zvezda from Serbia and Dubai from the UAE.
CSKA
The reigning VTB United League champions managed to retain the core of their championship roster during the offseason. CSKA compensated for the key losses of Aleksa Avramovic and Amath M’Baye by signing Antoius Cleveland and Aleksandr Chadov, as well as bringing back Samson Ruzhentsev from loan. Preparation is also going smoothly – the home part of the preseason was marked by a couple of friendlies with Khimki (95:65) and MBA-MAI (96:72). After that, CSKA played in Dubai for the first time in its history, where it first lost to Bosna (89:90) in a friendly tournament, then beat Besiktas (98:88) and the tournament hosts (98:97).
The Moscow team is going to defend its SuperCup title with a full roster, including Nikita Kurbanov, who has recovered from surgery on his right hand and took part in the last test game.
Zenit
After losing to CSKA in the 2025 Finals, Zenit underwent a restructuring that affected not only the leading players, but also the coaching staff, where Javier Pascual was replaced by Aleksandar Sekulic, as well as the management – Sani Becirovic took over as sporting director after the departure of Manos Papadopoulos.
Among the star newcomers to the St. Petersburg team, Andre Robertson and Nenad Dimitrijevic are worth mentioning. The preseason is going according to plan. Zenit became a 5-time winner of the Kondrashin and Belov Cup, defeating UNICS (89:71) in the final. In a loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv (77:102) in mid-September, the team played for the first time with Sekulic, who had returned from EuroBasket. The SuperCup will show the real level of readiness of the St. Petersburg team at the moment, but after reaching its projected capacity, Zenit is definitely going to continue fighting for the highest places.
Crvena Zvezda
Only 6 players from Crvena Zvezda SuperCup roster last year will be represented in this tournament (including Uros Plavcic, who was named to the All-Tournament team in 2024). The Serbian giant has radically rebuilt its roster. The departure of Branko Lazic after 14 (!) seasons and the change of captain, a role that will now be filled by Ognjen Dobric, seem symbolic.
There have been some high-profile signings, of course, and we will take a closer look at Zvezda most notable newcomer Devonte Graham. In the Semifinals of the tournament in Crete, Ioannis Sfairopoulos team defeated Euroleague champion Fenerbahce, and in the final lost to Olympiacos by only 3 points, so the team is as determined as ever. The Serbian capital is eagerly awaiting the debut of the new team in conditions as close to competitive as possible.
Dubai
Dubai, making its debut in the Euroleague and SuperCup, has seriously strengthened its roster during the offseason. Jurica Golemac team boasts depth at every position. The backcourt looks particularly strong, featuring reigning VTB League MVP Dwayne Bacon, Adriatic League MVP McKinley Wright, and one of last year’s Real Madrid leader Janan Musa. Strong moves in the transfer market included the signings of proven Euroleague players Justin Anderson from Barcelona, Muhammad Jaiti from Monaco, and Filip Petrusev from Olympiacos. The ambitious club from the UAE will have to work on building chemistry and distributing roles, and the SuperCup will be an important step in this process.
Intrigues
Belgrade
The first 4 SuperCups were held in Moscow. This year, the tournament is expanding its geography – the games will take place in one of the key locations for European basketball – Belgrade.
The best ball game is like a second religion for Serbs, so the League’s choice was not accidental.
The battle for the SuperCup will unfold on the court of the famous Belgrade Arena, which can accommodate more than 18,000 fans.
The VTB League President Sergey Kushchenko explained the decision to hold the SuperCup in Belgrade:
– Belgrade is rightly considered one of the basketball capitals of Europe today. This is primarily due to Serbia’s rich basketball culture and its outstanding historical achievements in this sport. Basketball in Serbia is more than just a sport, it’s almost a religion. It is no coincidence that Serbian teams responded to our invitation and took part in the first SuperCups in Moscow. We were in constant communication with coaches and club managers. We are very grateful to them for participating in our tournament. Their feedback made us realize that we were on the right track and gave us the confidence to move forward. That’s how the idea to hold a tournament in one of Europe’s best basketball cities, Belgrade, was born. Of course, it wasn’t easy, but thanks to the support of the country’s leadership, the city government, the Serbian Basketball Federation, and our friends who helped organize the event, we were able to make a lot happen.
We hope that everything will work out and that this tournament will be another step towards strengthening basketball cooperation between the VTB League and the Serbian basketball community.
The Return
The opening SuperCup game between Crvena Zvezda and CSKA will be the League’s first game in Europe in 3.5 years. The main preseason tournament will allow us to assess the level of the VTB United League compared to the leading European clubs and leagues.
Legends
Serbian basketball stars from different eras, including Stefan Markovic and Marko Keselj, will attend the games. The iconic Milos Teodosic and Boban Marjanovic are also expected to make an appearance.
Support
For the first time in many years, fans of Belgrade’s main clubs, Crvena Zvezda and Partizan, will be able to attend the arena together without restrictions on numbers – a unique occasion for Serbia. Partizan fans will come to support their brotherly CSKA.
Excitement
The SuperCup is also generating huge interest among the local media, with around 80 media outlets accredited for the tournament. Serbian press representatives will be watching Crvena Zvezda with particular interest. Journalists from Spain and Greece will also be in attendance.
Tradition
Foreign teams have never played in the SuperCup final. The best result – bronze medals – was achieved by Fenerbahce in 2023.
Who to follow
Devonte Graham (Crvena Zvezda)
Graham joined Crvena Zvezda in the summer, signing a one-year. Shooting guard with an excellent long-range shot, he knows how to create opportunities for his teammates – it’s no coincidence that the American will be wearing the number 4 jersey, which previously belonged to club legend Milos Teodosic. In his best NBA season with Charlotte Hornets, the sharpshooter averaged 18.2 points and 7.5 assists in 63 games. Sfairopoulos calls Devonte a key player for his new team.
Andre Roberson (Zenit)
Robertson also made a name for himself in the NBA as a key player for Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook’s Oklahoma City Thunder, which nearly stopped the Warriors’ dynasty in the Playoffs. A serious injury ended his career in the world’s strongest league. Robertson’s return to big-time basketball happened in France, where the forward started last season with Cholet and finished with Euroleague ASVEL. His ability to guard at the elite level and delight fans with his athleticism remain his calling cards.
Jzanan Musa (Dubai)
Musa did not play in the NBA, but after returning from the US, he became one of the leaders at Real Madrid. The versatile forward plays on both sides of the court, averaging 12.3 points per game in the Euroleague with 37.9% three-pointers made. In the UAE, there are huge expectations for the Bosnian in his prime, and not only in terms of his playing ability – a player with such a track record will help the team establish itself in the Euroleague and contribute to the growth of basketball culture in Dubai.
Nenad Dimitrijevic (Zenit)
The St. Petersburg team made one of the most epic transfers of the summer in the VTB United League, bringing back to Russia the MVP of the regular season (2024) and Playoffs (2023) Nenad Dimitrijevic. The former UNICS guard spent last season at Olimpia Milan, but did not get along with Ettore Messina and did not stay with the club until the end of his contract. The North Macedonian left for Italy as one of the most dangerous and talented offensive players in the League. The St. Petersburg team sees Nenad as the leader of the team and a new contender for the title of Most Valuable Player.
Melo Trimble (CSKA)
The current CSKA team owes its success not to individual players, but to competent coaching and balanced deep roster where everyone knows their role. But even here, Melo Trimble stands out with no weaknesses in offense – it’s no coincidence that he became the first player in VTB League history to be named the Finals MVP twice in a row. Another distinctive feature of Melo is his ability to show his best qualities at decisive moments in important games. The SuperCup format can highlight this American’s talent.
The SuperCup 2025 teams’ rosters
