BASKETBALL – BAHRAIN’S national basketball champions Muharraq are gearing up for the start of their title bid in the 2025-26 Fiba West Asia Super League (WASL) – the region’s premier clubs basketball tournament under the International Basketball Federation (Fiba).
Muharraq are the kingdom’s lone participants in this year’s edition. They will be competing in the Fiba WASL Gulf sub-zone, which features eight teams.
Muharraq are in Group A of the Gulf’s preliminary round alongside Kazma SC from Kuwait, Ittihad from Saudi Arabia, and defending Gulf champions Shabab Al Ahli from the UAE. Group B features Sharjah SC from the UAE, Kuwait Club from Kuwait, Al Arabi from Qatar, and Al Ula SC from Saudi.
Ittihad and Shabab Al Ahli have already taken to the hardwood in this year’s Fiba WASL opening fixture held Monday night. The Saudis won 94-88 against their Emirati counterparts in Dubai.
Muharraq are set to play their first game on Monday next week away against Kazma in Kuwait City. They are then set to face Shabab Al Ahli on November 3 in Dubai before playing their first home game against Ittihad on November 10.
Muharraq will then host Kazma on December 15, and then play at home once again on January 12 against Shabab Al Ahli. They then lock horns with Ittihad in Saudi on January 19 in their concluding Group A fixture.
Muharraq are hoping to finish atop their division to advance directly to the Gulf sub-zone semi-finals. Should they finish in second or third place, they will need to compete in a play-off round for a berth in the last four. Ending the group stage last on the table will eliminate them from further title contention.
Muharraq announced yesterday that renowned German basketball coach Peter Shommers has signed on to guide their senior men’s basketball team.
Muharraq were the title winners of last season’s Zain Bahrain Basketball League, and they are once again tipped to be amongst the leading contenders in the upcoming campaign, which is expected to tip off next month.
This season’s edition of the Fiba WASL is its fourth. It is the second time that Muharraq are competing in the tournament, having also participated in the 2023-24 edition, where they made it through to the Gulf semi-finals but then lost to Bahraini rivals Manama, who were the first-ever Fiba WASL overall title winners in 2022-23.
Last season, Manama and Al Ahli were the kingdom’s representatives. Manama made it through to the Gulf semi-finals, while Ahli were eliminated by Manama in the qualification for the semis.
Aside from the Fiba WASL Gulf sub-zone, there is also the West Asia sub-zone, which is composed of six teams. They are last season’s Fiba WASL overall and West Asia champions Al Riyadi Beirut from Lebanon, Gorgan from Iran, BC Astana from Kazakhstsan, Al Difaa Al Jawi SC from Iraq, Segasse SC from Lebanon, and Al Wahda SC from Syria.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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