By Staff Reporter
Beirut: FIBA Regional Office-Asia on Thursday announced the postponement of the FIBA WASL Final 8 2026 to September 25–October 1, to allow domestic leagues across the region to conclude and enable national teams to prepare for the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Qualifiers.
The decision comes after domestic competitions in the Gulf and West Asia regions were suspended earlier this year due to the regional conflict, disrupting league schedules. With stability returning, leagues have resumed, prompting a revised calendar to ensure their completion.
National teams are also set to compete in two international windows of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Qualifiers, scheduled for the first weeks of July and the final week of August 2026. The revised dates for the FIBA WASL Final 8 are intended to provide players with sufficient time to fulfil national team duties and adequately prepare for international competition.
FIBA said moving the Final 8 tournament to late September would support the completion of domestic campaigns while easing scheduling pressures for players involved in both club and national team commitments.
The top two teams from the FIBA WASL Final 8 2026 will secure qualification for BCL Asia 2026. They will join South China AA of Hong Kong and Taoyuan Pauian Pilots of Chinese Taipei, who finished as the top two sides in the recently concluded BCL Asia-East 2026, alongside champion teams from the leagues of China, Japan, Korea and the Philippines.
BCL Asia 2026 is scheduled to take place shortly after the FIBA WASL Final 8, with matches expected to be held during the first two weeks of October 2026.
Before the postponement in March, the Final Phase of the FIBA WASL Sub-Zone Leagues was set to feature Al Riyadi and Sagesse BC of Lebanon, BC Astana of Kazakhstan and Shahrdari Gorgan of Iran from the West Asia League. Representing the Gulf League were Kuwait SC, Al Ula and Ittihad Club of Saudi Arabia, as well as Al Arabi SC of Qatar.
The competition had been halted as regional instability forced the suspension of basketball activities across parts of West Asia and the Gulf, delaying the progression of the tournament until conditions improved.
