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Two-time defending EuroLeague Women champion Fenerbahçe Opet’s roster may look different than it did last season, but the Turkish powerhouse picked up where it left off anyway, opening the 2024-25 season with an impressive group play win over Villeneuve-d’Ascq LM.

New to Fenerbahçe this season is a host of international talent including French forward Gabby Williams, Belgian guard Julie Allemand and Americans Ariel Atkins and Tina Charles. Factor in EuroLeague Women legend Emma Meesseman and you get a versatile lineup with skill, athleticism and experience, and it’s no wonder why they were ranked No. 1 overall by FIBA.com in its preseason power rankings.

Early returns for Fenerbahçe have been good, with Charles and Meesseman combining to score 38 points on 17-for-23 shooting from the field. Also of note during Week 1 of group play were 92-point performances put up by Žabiny Brno and Beretta Famila Schio, the former of which hit a whopping 16 3-point shots as a team.

Can Brno repeat that shooting performance against a tough ÇBK Mersin squad that projects to be in the hunt for a EuroLeague Women championship? Will ZVVZ USK Praha bounce back from a disappointing opening-week loss despite missing two of its biggest stars? And can Casademot Zaragoza give Fenerbahçe another scare, just as it did twice last season?

These are all questions we’ll be pondering as Week 2 of EuroLeague Women group play tips off this Wednesday, Oct. 16. All games will be streamed live and for free on FIBA’s EuroLeague Women YouTube channel. Now, let’s go through this week’s schedule and discuss some key matchups throughout the competition.

Wednesday, October 16

Žabiny Brno (1-0) vs. ÇBK Mersin (1-0)

When: 11:30 a.m. ET

Where: Servet Tazegül Spor Salonu in Mersin, Turkey

How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream

Notable players: Elissa Cunane (Žabiny Brno); Marine Johannès, Natasha Howard, Karlie Samuelson, Yvonne Anderson, Iliana Rupert, Marine Fauthoux, Regan Magarity (ÇBK Mersin)

Matchup details: Brno made quite an impression in Week 1, draining 16 3-pointers en route to a 31-point win over Olympiacos, but will now face a much stiffer test in Mersin, which is widely considered to be the strongest club in Group B. Mersin revamped its roster, adding playmakers like Johannès, Anderson and Fauthoux, though the star of the show last week was Rupert, who record 20 points, nine rebounds and two steals in a win over Bourges. Keep an eye on her individual matchup against Cunane.

Casademont Zaragoza (1-0) vs. Fenerbahçe Opet (1-0)

When: 12 p.m. ET

Where: Metro Energy Sports Hall in Istanbul, Turkey

How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream

Notable players: Markeisha Gatling, Helena Pueyo, Tanaya Atkinson, Stephanie Mawuli (Casademont Zaragoza); Ariel Atkins, Emma Meesseman, Tina Charles, Gabby Williams, Julie Allemand, Nikolina Milic, Sevgi Uzun (Fenerbahçe Opet)

Matchup details: Fenerbahçe’s new-look roster had little difficulty last week against Villeneuve-d’Ascq, winning 81-52, and will now get a crack at Zaragoza, which was one of the few clubs to give Fenerbahçe close games last season. Fenerbahçe’s elite frontcourt will have its hands full with the physicality of Atkinson, who led Zaragoza with 23 points last week in a tight win over Polkowice.

Villeneuve-d’Ascq LM (0-1) vs. KGHM BC Polkowice (0-1)

When: 1 p.m. ET

Where: City Sports Hall in Polkowice, Poland

How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream

Notable players: Shavonte Zellous, Kelsey Bone, Carla Leite, Maïa Hirsch (Villeneuve-d’Ascq LM); Alexis Peterson, Amanda Zahui B., Rennia Davis, Emma Cannon (KGHM BC Polkowice)

Matchup details: Last season’s EuroLeague Women runner-up, Villeneuve-d’Ascq got off to a poor start in Week 1, though it could probably be forgiven when considering the competition. The play of Leite (14 points and six assists), however, was a bright spot; she’ll take on a veteran Polkowice squad that, despite a close loss last week to Zaragoza, has plenty of size and experience and figures to be a tough matchup across the board.

UNI Győr (0-1) vs. ZVVZ USK Praha (0-1)

When: 1 p.m. ET

Where: Královka Arena in Prague, Czech Republic

How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream

Notable players: Cyesha Goree (UNI Győr); Ezi Magbegor, Brionna Jones, Isabelle Harrison, Maite Cazorla, Valeriane Ayayi, Maria Conde, Emese Hof (ZVVZ USK Praha)

Matchup details: It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen Praha as clearly outgunned as it was last week against Valencia, but there was good reason for it, as the Czech club was missing its top two frontcourt players in Magbegor and Jones. For as long as the two are away from the team, Praha is vulnerable, and there may not be a better chance this season for Győr’s to earn an upset against one of the competition’s perennial powerhouses; the Hungarian club finished 2-12 in group play last season and is not expected to be a contender this time around, either.

Beretta Famila Schio (1-0) vs. DVTK HUN-Therm (0-1)

When: 2 p.m. ET

Where: DVTK Aréna in Miskolc, Hungary

How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream

Notable players: Kitija Laksa, Jasmine Keys, Janelle Salaün (Beretta Famila Schio); Kaila Charles, Aleksa Gulbe (DVTK HUN-Therm)

Matchup details: DVTK’s penchant for close, low-scoring games has carried over from last season. The Hungarian club fell 55-54 last week against Landes, shooting just 29.6 percent from the field, and it goes without saying that better offense will be required against Schio. Salaün (24 points, nine rebounds and five steals) led Schio to a 92-58 blowout of Avenida in Week 1, and if this is a sign of things to come for the talented young French forward, Schio will have little trouble replacing the scoring it lost after last season.

Thursday, October 17

Tango Bourges Basket (0-1) vs. Olympiacos B.C. (0-1)

When: 11 a.m. ET

Where: Peace and Friendship Stadium in Piraeus, Greece

How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream

Notable players: Amy Okonkwo, Morgan Green, Pauline Astier, Kariata Diaby (Tango Bourges Basket); Kyra Lambert, Ivana Raca, Rebecca Tobin (Olympiacos B.C.)

Matchup details: Bourges wasn’t particularly impressive in Week 1 against Mersin, but the French club will get a bit of a reprieve this week against Olympiacos, which just allowed 92 points to Brno. Perhaps that result was more due to Brno’s shooting than anything else; Olympiacos will still need to prove it belongs, however, and a better showing against a veteran club like Bourges will be the first step.

Basket Landes (1-0) vs. Perfumerias Avenida (0-1)

When: 2:30 p.m. ET

Where: Pabellón Municipal de Würzburg in Salamanca, Spain

How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream

Notable players: Destiny Slocum, Leïla Lacan, Sam Fuehring (Basket Landes); Arella Guirantes, Sika Koné, Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, Arica Carter (Perfumerias Avenida)

Matchup details: Led by young star Lacan, Landes eked past DVTK in an opening-week win, which is hopefully a good omen after a lukewarm 4-10 finish in group play last season. Avenida had no such luck, turning the ball over 23 times in a loss to Schio. Expectations are high for the Spanish club, particularly after adding Guirantes, and one early-season loss is nothing to fret over, but with no clear favorite in Group A, Avenida will need to bounce back against Landes, lest it gets put in an 0-2 hole.

Valencia Basket Club (1-0) vs. Umana Reyer Venezia (1-0)

When: 3 p.m. ET

Where: Palasport Taliercio in Venice, Italy

How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream

Notable players: Alina Iagupova, Stephanie Mavunga, Yvonne Turner, Raquel Carrera, Leticia Romero, Bernadett Határ, Alba Torrens (Valencia Basket Club); Awak Kuier, Lorela Cubaj, Kamiah Smalls (Umana Reyer Venezia)

Matchup details: Both Valencia and Venezia won comfortably in their respective opening-week games, setting the stage for a key early-season matchup in Group D. Valencia, on one hand, is expected to compete for a EuroLeague Women championship this season, with two-time MVP Iagupova and a host of other international basketball veterans. Venezia, on the other, is an up-and-coming young club, with a talented, versatile frontcourt of Kuier and Cubaj making an impact on both ends of the floor.