Fenerbahçe Beko are one win from another EuroLeague Final Four, carrying a 2-0 lead into hostile territory as the series shifts to Kaunas for Game 3.
The Turkish champions face Zalgiris Kaunas on Wednesday night at Zalgirio Arena, with a place in the 2026 Final Four in Athens within reach.
Back-to-back wins in Istanbul, 89-78 and 86-74, have put Fenerbahçe firmly in control of the best-of-five quarterfinal, leaving Sarunas Jasikevicius’s side needing just one more push to seal an eighth appearance on Europe’s biggest stage.
The matchup arrived finely balanced on paper. Fenerbahçe finished fourth in the regular season at 24-14, just ahead of fifth-placed Zalgiris at 23-15.
Yet the opening two games told a different story. Fenerbahçe dictated tempo, tightened defensively, and found scoring depth across the roster.
Tarik Biberovic set the tone early with a standout Game 1 display, while experienced figures like Nicolo Melli steadied the team in Game 2.
Wade Baldwin IV, a constant offensive engine throughout the season, continued to orchestrate with composure, blending scoring and playmaking as Zalgiris struggled to contain the visitors’ balance.
History leans heavily in Fenerbahçe’s favor. They have been a fixture of the Final Four in recent years, reaching five straight editions from 2015 to 2019 before returning in 2024 and 2025. Titles in 2017 and 2025 underlined their pedigree, and another deep run now feels within touching distance.
Their head coach knows Kaunas better than most. Jasikevicius, a former Zalgiris icon, returns to a familiar arena seeking to close out his former club. His emphasis on defensive discipline and structured execution has defined this playoff run, with Fenerbahçe holding Zalgiris below their regular-season scoring rhythm.
That contrast is striking. Zalgiris entered the playoffs as one of the competition’s most potent offenses, averaging 87.6 points per game, compared to Fenerbahçe’s 81.9. They also moved the ball more fluidly, posting nearly 19.4 assists per contest. But through two games, those strengths have been muted.
Sylvain Francisco, their leading scorer, remains central to any comeback hopes, especially in front of one of Europe’s loudest home crowds. Zalgirio Arena has long been a proving ground, and Zalgiris will lean on that energy to extend the series and force a return to Istanbul.
The head-to-head record adds another layer. Fenerbahçe lead 23-13 across 36 EuroLeague meetings and have historically had the upper hand in playoff encounters, including a Final Four semifinal win in 2018 and a 3-1 series victory in 2019. Yet Zalgiris swept both regular-season meetings this year, a reminder that the margin is not as wide as the current series suggests.
Now the stakes sharpen. A Fenerbahçe win ends the contest and books their ticket to Athens, where the Final Four will be held from May 22 to 24. A Zalgiris response keeps their season alive and shifts the pressure back to Istanbul for Game 4.
