Rīgas Zeļļi to visit Spain's Burgos in EuroCup

Latvian basketball club Rīgas Zeļļi will play Spanish side San Pablo Burgos in the city of Burgos on Wednesday, 28 October, at 21:30 Latvian time. The game is part of the EuroCup, Europe's second-strongest club competition. After four rounds Zeļļi have a 2-2 record and Burgos 1-3, but the bookmakers' odds make the hosts favourites.

A club with two European trophies

The San Pablo project began in 2015, and in 2017 the team reached Spain's top league, the ACB. In 2020 and 2021 Burgos won the FIBA Champions League, becoming the first team to win it twice. In 2021 it also took the FIBA Intercontinental Cup. The club dropped out of the ACB in 2022 and returned three years later. This season it is back in the ACB, with two wins in five games and 12th place among 18 teams.

Burgos has met a Latvian club before. In the 2021 Champions League, VEF Rīga lost 75:76 in overtime away and 45:67 at home. American Alex Renfro once linked the two clubs.

Arena and budget

The club's home, Coliseum Burgos, was created by rebuilding the city's bullring and holds about ten thousand spectators. The city council is set to provide €1.1 million this season. The total budget has not been made public, but in 2024/2025 it was estimated at about €3 million.

Players

Coach Porfi Fisac has led the team since December 2025. The roster was substantially rebuilt in the summer. It includes former NBA player Seku Doumbouya and Slovenian forward Vlatko Cancar, who won the NBA title with the Denver Nuggets in 2023. Cancar's participation is in doubt because of a knee injury. American D.J. Steward averages 17.5 points in four EuroCup games, while Chase Audige scored 21 on Saturday in a 99:81 ACB win over Manresa.

In the EuroCup, Burgos beat Cedevita Olimpija (85:81) and then lost to Aris, Hapoel and Derthona.