BEIRUT (Lebanon) - Bettering their previous campaign would be the main objective as Al Wahda SC are headed back to FIBA WASL as one of the five teams competing in the upcoming 2025-26 West Asia League.
FIBA WASL history
This will be the Syrian ball club's second go-around in the pan-regional competition and they are surely coming in with so much hunger to atone for their 2023-24 campaign, in which they won just a single game.
Still, given the circumstances in the Sub-Zone League back then, they entered the Qualification to Semi-Finals, making the country well-represented in the Final Phase as Al-Ittihad Ahli also did as much in the other group.
However, both sides got booted out in the said stage. The Damascene Orange, in particular, got swept by eventual WASL runners-up Sagesse SC in their best-of-3 series, losing by an average margin of 13.0 points.
Al Wahda finished with a 1-5 record overall.
Qualifying path
Years later, though, a chance to redeem themselves lies ahead, which they earned by clinching the 2024-25 Syrian Basketball League championship following a gentleman's sweep of Al-Ittihad Ahli in the best-of-5 Final.
They achieved a 'three-peat' with that triumph, in the process growing their collection of league titles to 12.
Players to watch
And they're coming in with solid pieces to banner their run, led by star forward Mohammad Bilal Atli as he signed with the club last August - marking as well his return to WASL after previously suiting up for Al-Ittihad Ahli.
Atli himself was one of the players during his time in the league, as proven by his solid averages of 14.1 points on 54.6-percent shooting from the field, 8.4 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 1.4 blocks in nine games played.
Then there's also his fellow Syrian men's national team member CJ Maran, who's known by some fans for his stint with the Illawarra Hawks of the Australian NBL and is now bound for his first FIBA club competition.
For a more thorough look at Al Wahda's WASL campaign, click here.
FIBA