The competition has changed its format since the first fourteen teams took part at the inaugural edition in
1960–61. Through the era, as the number of participating teams has changed over time, the competition moved from an only
knockout tournament to include a
round-robin format between the final four competitors to determine the champion. Since the competition became the , all participants are divided into groups, and a double round-robin takes place within each group. The best teams advance to the playoffs and one team is selected to be the host of the "Final four" (receiving a
bye from the playoffs and qualifying directly to the final four). The teams paired for the playoffs play a
double-elimination until three teams remain, these three teams join the final four host to play the semifinal, 3rd place match and final. The final four takes place between March and April. == History ==