The Qualifiers begin with Game 1 in Zagreb – Cibona host Ilirija

2025/26 AdmiralBet ABA League Qualifiers Round 1, Thursday, 29 May 2025:

CIBONA – ILIRIJA

Where? Dražen Petrović Arena, Zagreb

When? 19:00

Story of the game: In the opening game of the AdmrialBet ABA League Qualifiers, Cibona will be hosting Ilirija in Round 1.

Everything is set for the beginning of the 2025/16 AdmiralBet ABA League Qualifying series, as Cibona will be hosting Ilirija at home in their Dražen Petrović Arena in Zagreb in the best of three series between the 15th placed team of the 2024/25 AdmiralBet ABA League Regular Season and the defeated finalists of the 2024/25 NLB ABA League 2 season.

Cibona will for sure be counting on their experience, as they are long-time members of the elite club basketball competition in the region, while Ilirija, the young squad of Ljubljana, have never ever played in the top-tier regional club competition before, but are full of ambition and well-coached by the former renowned player Sitpe Modrić.

When one looks at the history, he finds out that never before has the team, that has been heading into the Qualifiers from the NLB ABA League 2, defeated the AdmiralBet ABA League. Can this time be different?

We might see which way the series might be leaning on Thursday night in Game 1!

Match-up in focus: Perhaps the most exciting match-up of the game can be the one between Krešimir Radovčić and Vincent Golson. While Radovčić has been averaging 10.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game for Cibona this season in the AdmiralBet ABA League, Golson has had an average of 12.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game for Ilirija in the NLB ABA League 2. Which of the two players will lead his team to the win this time around?

Head-to-head score in the regional league: In total 0:0.