An official picks a team during the official draw ceremony.
Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) held the draw ceremony for 2025-2026 Men’s General League yesterday evening at the Al Wasil Hall at the Qatar Olympic Committee headquarters. The event was attended by key figures from the Qatari basketball community and representatives of the nine participating clubs.
The ceremony was graced by the presence of Saadoun Sabah Al Kuwari, General Secretary of the QBF and National Teams Director, Ahmed Youssef Al Darwish, Assistant General Secretary and Head of the Competitions Committee, and Essam Lotfy, Technical Expert at the QBF.
In a significant development for the sport, Al Kuwari announced the launch of the inaugural Qatar Basketball Super Cup. This new competition will kick off the 2025-2026 season and will feature four top clubs: Al Arabi and Al Rayyan (last season’s league and His Highness the Amir Cup finalists), along with Al Sadd and Al Ahli (the third and fourth-placed teams in the previous league).
The Super Cup semi-finals are scheduled for Saturday, October 11, 2025, pitting Al Arabi against Al Sadd, and Al Rayyan against Al Ahli. The final will be held on Monday, October 13, 2025.
Al Kuwari detailed a modified league system for the new season, designed to enhance the technical level and increase the number of matches to 15 per team. This reform aims to provide more competitive experience and is part of a broader strategy to optimally prepare the national team for its upcoming commitments, most notably the Asian Qualifiers for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027, which Qatar will host.
The draw set the stage for intense early competition. The first round, starting on October 18, 2025, will feature strong matchups: Al Wakrah vs. Al Sadd, Al Shamal vs. Al Khor, Al Rayyan vs. Qatar Club, and Al Ahli vs. Al Gharafa. Al Arabi will have a bye in the opening round. The league will proceed at an intensive pace until the sixth round on November 5, 2025, before pausing to allow the national team to participate in the first window of the Asian World Cup Qualifiers. The first half of the league concludes on December 13, 2025, with the second half running from December 20, 2025, to January 17, 2026.
The semi-final playoffs are scheduled for January 22-31, 2026, culminating in the final between February 2 and 7, 2026. The season will also feature a “Play-In” tournament for teams ranked third to sixth, adding a dynamic layer of competition to determine the final playoff contenders.
