The ACB has taken a bold turn in how it stages the Copa del Rey basketball spectacle. The 2023 first official championship will be hosted at the Badalona Olympic Pavilion, where FC Barcelona will look to defend the title, while Joventut will not have a fully home-court advantage for every game. The decision has raised eyebrows across the league, elevating the sense of a true neutral landscape for this high-stakes tournament.
Beyond the parquet, the organizational choice places the action inside the Badalona venue, yet the tournament’s formal setup centers around the Wizink Center, the Madrid arena where Real Madrid often plays its home games. Joventut’s head coach Carlés Duran openly addressed the arrangement during the team’s Media Day, signaling that the shift could alter team dynamics and fan engagement across the competition. The move has sparked discussion about how a venue’s atmosphere influences performance and morale during a cup that promises close contests and dramatic finishes.
The court itself has been refreshed with a lighter wood tone creating a striking contrast with the club’s traditional black-and-green branding. The floor’s new look is paired with redesigned baskets and rim padding aimed at enhanced visibility and consistent scoring across venues. Observers have noted that the angular lighting and surface texture may subtly affect shooting rhythm, though the core objective remains to deliver fair play and exciting games for fans across both cities and streaming audiences. Will the changes produce the same level of parity as last year’s event, where a noticeable discrepancy in scoring between baskets became a talking point? Time will tell as teams adapt to the updated environment.
In addition to on-court updates, Olympia’s lighting system has been upgraded, contributing to brighter, more uniform illumination that reduces glare and improves camera capture for broadcasts. Two LED displays have been installed at the dressing room entrances, adding a dramatic element as players step onto the floor and build anticipation before tip-off. Together, these enhancements aim to raise the spectacle value of the Copa del Rey while maintaining a competitive balance across venues and matchups. With these changes in place, one of the most balanced and unpredictable cups in recent memory is set to unfold, inviting players, coaches, and fans to experiment with new routines and rhythms.