BEIRUT (Lebanon) - The United Arab Emirates will be well-represented in the upcoming FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) season as Sharjah SC have become just the latest to join the pan-regional competition.
Qualifying path
This marks the first time in the league's young history that two ball clubs from the UAE will compete in the same season after the first three editions saw Shabab Al Ahli as the lone flag-bearer of the country.
Now it's going to be them two in the 2025-26 Gulf League competitions, which happened thanks to the success attained by the WASL pioneers after ruling the Sub-Zone League last season for their breakthrough title.
The country was rewarded two slots because of that and that paved the way for Sharjah, earning their ticket by winning the 2024-25 UAE League Basketball Final for their second-ever league championship.
Team history
Taking part in WASL marks yet another milestone for one of the more recognizable organizations in this region, which was established back in 1966 mainly as a football club under the name of Al Oruba Club.
Eventually, their basketball section - previously known as An Nahl Sharjah - would grow into a contender domestically. Three years after it merged with Shaab, the team won its first-ever ULB crown in 2020.
Players to watch
Half a decade later and they'd nab their second championship by beating Shabab Al Ahli in the 2024-25 Final, 85-74, and playing a major role behind their success was star forward DeMarco Dickerson.
If that name rings a bell, that's because he's proven himself in the FIBA stage with the Emirati men's team during the recent FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers in which he tallied the competition's first-ever triple-double.
Dickerson finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists while also recording 4 steals to power his side to their first win of the Asia Cup Qualifiers by way of a 90-77 beatdown of Bahrain back in Window 2.
Soon he's going to show his wares in WASL for what should also be his first taste of FIBA club competition after being re-signed by Sharjah for at least another season in further proof of how happy they are with him.
For sure, the team will be loading up with more talent, which we all see when they host Al Ula Club at the Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall on October 14 as they're part of Season 4's opening week action.
Sharjah and Al Ula are part of Group B of the 2025-26 Gulf League along with former two-time Sub-Zone League winners Kuwait Club and Al Arabi SC. To know more about the UAE outfit's WASL campaign, click here.
FIBA