Manama to open Super League campaign next month

TDT | Manama                 

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com 

Bahrain league champions Manama Club open their campaign in the first-ever edition of the West Asia Super League (WASL) next month with a pair of home and away games.

The event is a new basketball competition sanctioned by FIBA, the sport’s global governing body. Manama are one of 16 teams in the inaugural WASL.

They are in Group B of the Gulf sub-zone alongside Al Sadd SC of Qatar, Kuwait SC of Kuwait, and Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia.

The Bahrainis will be facing each of the three sides in home and away contests.

Their first fixture is on 20 December against Nasser in Saudi, and then they host Kuwait on 27 December.

Manama then go against Sadd away on 9 January before playing Nasser at home on 23 January.

They then close out their preliminary round campaign with two games in March, first against Kuwait away on the 13th and then against Sadd in the Kingdom on the 21st.

Group A in the Gulf sub-zone comprises Al Hilal of Saudi, Shabab Al Ahli of the UAE, Al Basheer Club of Oman and Kazma SC of Kuwait. The West Asia sub-zone includes Beirut First Club of Lebanon, Ittihad Ahli of Syria, Orthodox Ramallah of Palestine and Zobahan Isfahan BC of Iran in Group A; and Shahrdari Gorgan of Iran, Al Naft SC of Iraq, Al Karamah SC of Syria and Al Riyadi Beirut of Lebanon.

Each WASL sub-zone consists of eight teams divided into two groups of four.

The top team from each group will then advance to the semi-finals, while the second and third will faceoff in qualification to semi-finals match-ups.

Eventually, the top three teams from WASL West Asia and WASL Gulf sub-zones will qualify for the WASL Final 8, where they will be joined by Champions of South Asia and Central Asia.

The WASL Final 8 finalists will qualify for FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2023, on the road to FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2023, FIBA’s highest club competition.