Manama face unbeaten Kuwait Club in WASL basketball

TDT | Manama                                        

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com   

Bahrain league champions Manama Club have travelled to Kuwait City to play Kuwait Club tonight in their penultimate game of the Gulf sub-zone in the FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL).

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

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

The Bahrainis face each of the three sides in home-and-away contests.

The Bahrainis have won three of their four games so far and will be facing the undefeated Kuwaitis in a crucial clash, scheduled for a 7.30pm tip-off tonight at Shaikh Saad Alabdullah Sport Hall Complex.

The Manama delegation left for Kuwait City yesterday after completing their preparations in the Kingdom.

Manama triumphed in their last WASL fixture against Nasr 105-74 in January, and will be looking to maintain their winning ways.

Their final assignment will be against Sadd on 21 March at home. 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.

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

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

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