The London Lions will host Zalgiris Kaunas and Paris Basketball in the inaugural London Lions Invitational at the Copper Box Arena on September 10–11, giving the Lithuanian and French clubs a preseason meeting in the English capital.

The Lions announced Monday that four teams will participate in the tournament, with London facing Slask Wroclaw at 5:30 p.m. on September 10 before Zalgiris plays Paris at 8:30 p.m. The third-place game and final will take place the following day at 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., respectively.

The event gives Zalgiris and Paris another meeting after they finished the 2025-26 EuroLeague regular season in very different positions. Zalgiris went 23-15 to finish fifth, while Paris posted a 15-23 record and finished 16th.

The two clubs also met twice during the EuroLeague regular season, splitting the two games with Zalgiris winning the final matchup 85-79 in Kaunas on April 17. The victory secured fifth place for Zalgiris and ended Paris’ European season.

Zalgiris enters the tournament with a substantially reshaped roster. The club added Saben Lee, brought back Marek Blazevic ad Marius Grigonis, while adding Carsen Edwards, Sterling Brown, Jonas Valanciunas and Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu, while also signing Maxwell Lewis and Keenan Evans.

The Lions have a direct connection to two of those Zalgiris players. Lewis and Evans will spend the 2026-27 season on loan with London, meaning the September tournament could provide an early opportunity for the pair to face their parent club.

Zalgiris lost Sylvain Francisco, who led the team at 16.5 points and 6.5 assists per game in 42 EuroLeague appearances last season, and Moses Wright, who averaged 13.2 points and 6.5 rebounds. Azuolas Tubelis contributed 12.1 points and 4.5 rebounds.

Paris is also entering the preseason with a new-look roster. Nadir Hifi, who averaged 18.9 points and 3.8 assists in 37 EuroLeague games last season, returns as one of the team’s principal perimeter scorers, while the club has added Terry Tarpey, TJ Warren, Tyson Etienne, Maozinha Pereira and Alize Johnson.

The London event also revives a recent connection between the Lions and both visiting clubs. London previously hosted Zalgiris in a sold-out preseason game, while Paris eliminated the Lions in the 2024 EuroCup semifinals before winning the competition.