Moroccan Al-Fateh Sports Club is competing in the Doha International Basketball Championship alongside seven other clubs, namely Zamalek from Egypt, Al-Hikma Beirut, Beirut First from Lebanon, Al-Arabi from Kuwait, Al-Ahly from Libya, and Degla Al-Jamaa from Iraq. The professional Meralco Bullets team in the Philippine League is also participating in the tournament.
Today, Thursday, the Qatar Basketball Association held a press conference to announce the Doha International Basketball Championship, which will be held from September 25 to September 30 in the Al Gharafa Club Hall, organized by Doha Active Sports and under the supervision of the Qatar Basketball Association.
The Secretary General of the Qatar Basketball Association, Saadoun Sabah Al-Kuwari, spoke at the press conference, which was witnessed by a large crowd of journalists and media representatives, who wished success to the participating teams, considering the Doha International Championship to have become an awaited station in basketball in the region, expressing his hope that it would expand to include tournaments for national teams. And for ladies too. Al Kuwari also stressed the importance of the return of Filipino professional teams to the region, through the tournament, which reflects international confidence in Qatari sports.
Executive Director of the Organizing Committee, Ibrahim Al-Desouki, said that the tournament falls within the great effort made by the Qatar Basketball Association to advance and promote the game, especially with Qatar’s choice to organize the next Basketball World Cup in 2027.
He revealed the criteria for selecting the teams participating in the tournament from the clubs that have large fan bases among the communities residing in Doha.
The tournament’s general coordinator, Saif Nasser Al-Dossary, announced the tournament’s system, with Al-Hikma, Al-Fateh, Beirut First, and Degla clubs playing in the first group, and in the second group, Zamalek, Meralco Bolts, Al-Arabi, and Al-Ahly clubs.
The first and second placed teams qualify for the semi-finals, and then the winners qualify for the final match, while the third and fourth placed teams in each group play two matches to determine the positions.
According to the tournament system, each participating team registers four foreign players on the main list, and three of them are allowed to participate in each match (two on the field).
The Managing Partner of Doha Active Sports and Director of Tournament Operations, Samer Saadeh, commented on the public turnout achieved by the Doha International Championship last year, and also announced the launch of tickets for the tournament through the Qtickets website, starting today, where they will be available for a price of 45 Qatari riyals. There will be entertainment programs and prizes for spectators that will make attending the matches a pleasure comparable to what we see in international stadiums.
The opening match of the tournament will be between the Lebanese club Al-Hikma, the defending champion, and the Beirut club, at 18:30 pm on Monday, September 25.
