BENGALURU (India) - One looks to repeat, while the other hopes to break the trend as Sichuan Yuanda Meile and Denso slug it out for the FIBA WBL Asia 2026 title on Sunday night at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium.
Game time is set at 19:00 local time, with the champion clubs of China and Japan duking it out for gold for the second time in a row after Dongguan New Century and the Fujitsu Red Wave battled in the 2025 finale.
Dongguan went on to rule the tilt in front of their own people to keep the crown in the country, and the Pandas would surely want to do the same although their own attempt bears much more significance.
Because the defending WCBA queens are looking to bring home their second WBL Asia championship, having emerged as the inaugural winners of the premier women's ball club competition in this continent in 2024.
"We will try our best to get it," said head coach Yang Yi.
It's going to be a clash of unbeaten teams, with both protagonists coming into the Last Dance via sweep - they topped their respective groups before dispatching their respective foes in the Semi-Finals Saturday.
Sichuan were the first to advance by walloping Cheongju KB, and Denso followed suit by scraping past another league pioneer in Cathay Life, setting up what could potentially go down as an epic championship bout.
But while the Pandas have their sights set on the ultimate prize, the Iris are hoping to fine-tune everything in less than 24 hours after turning in a sloppy performance against the Stars, hence the 86-78 decision.
Many expected that it would be another rout when the W League champions led by as many as 18, but needed a dagger triple from Minami Yabu late as their foes got to as close as 7, 83-76, with 41.2 seconds left.
"Many things could have been better," said chief mentor Vladimir Vuksanovic. "But it's just our third game. I hope we have spent the bad day. I hope tomorrow is a new day and we can come with fresh minds and legs."
Regardless, they're headed to the finale, keen on bettering the finish of the Red Wave during last year's competitions in which the latter settled for a runner-up finish behind Dongguan New Century.
So, can Sichuan finish their own story? Or will Denso play the spoiler's role?
Meanwhile, facing off in the Third-Place Game would be the Stars and the Tigers at 16:00, with the WSBL side hoping to bring home another medal after finishing as runners-up in the 2024 WBL Asia games in Chengdu.
FIBA