The first stops on the road to the 2011 Euroleague Final Four are now clear after the draw for the 2010-11 Euroleague regular season took place in early July. Defending champion Regal FC Barcelona, runner-up Olympiacos Piraeus, 2008 titlest CSKA Moscow and perennial contender Caja Laboral headline the regular season groups into which 22 teams were drawn, with two more qualilfying teams still to be decided. The regular season tips off with the traditional opening game, held this year on Monday, October 18 between Olympiacos and Real Madrid.

The route that will take two teams to the forefront of European basketball this season was unveiled at the Euroleague Qualifying Rounds draw in early July. A total of 16 aspirants to play the Euroleague regular season know what challenges they have to meet when the qualifying rounds take place between September 21 and October 8. In that span of time, the two ultimate winners must survive three pairs of two-game series in which aggregate score will be the deciding factor. The fourteen teams eliminated at any stage of the qualifying will compete instead in the 2010-11 Eurocup.