BEIRUT (Lebanon) - Pressure is at an all-time high on the part of Al Riyadi coming into the 2025-26 FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) competitions given the kind of responsibilities they have to fulfill.
The Lebanese powerhouse will have to defend not one but two championships, but that fact is not only the reason why they could be bound for arguably their toughest campaign to date in the pan-regional tilt.
Tournament history
Riyadi are among the league's pioneering ball clubs and they're headed for their fourth WASL appearance in as many editions, but this particular stint bears even more weight being the reigning double champions.
It could be remembered that Coach Ahmad Farran & Co. became the very first to achieve a 'three-peat' in the tourney last season, when they conquered the WASL-West Asia League for the third time in a row.
Weeks later, and in their own stomping grounds in Beirut, the crew went on to repeat by sweeping the Final 8 2025 for a successful repeat, thus becoming the first to win it all in back-to-back fashion.
Qualifying path
For sure, the goal is to achieve another 'three-peat' but what their sights are set on, first and foremost, is protecting the Sub-Zone League throne they've been sitting on since the 2022-23 inaugurals.
And they earned these opportunities by acing the test domestically - by ruling the 2024-25 Lebanese Basketball Championship, that is, after beating Sagesse SC in the Final to win the gold for the third successive time.
Players to watch
But the thing is, Riyadi will have to do all that without two of the major reasons behind their success over the last two seasons after star guard Wael Arakji and Thon Maker left for Al Ula Club of Saudi Arabia.
Currently, the champion tandem are competing in the WASL-Gulf League, forming a troika so solid with shooter Jonathan Gibson as the league newcomers are keen on making waves in their breakthrough campaign.
Their departure, needless to say, has casted a cloud of uncertainty over the squad, with fans and pundits alike intrigued to see how a team without Arakji would be able to fare this 2025-26 season.
What's certain, however, is that Farran will still have a formidable lineup at his disposal, with do-it-all guard Ali Mansour, Karim Zeinoun, and Hayk Gyokchyan expected to assume bigger responsibilities this time around.
Then of course, there remains the ever reliable Amir Saoud, with reinforcements such as big man Ivan Buva still in the fold - pieces that were integral in their successful title defense in the previous WASL season.
Want to know more about Riyadi's upcoming campaign? Click here.
FIBA