BEIRUT (Lebanon) - Kuwait Club are surely coming in with so much hunger as the perennial FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) contenders found their way back into the Final 8 after a depressing campaign last season.
But will that kind of drive be enough to finally finish their story?
Tournament history
The Kuwaiti Division 1 League outfit is among the pan-regional competition's pioneering teams, and went on to win the first two editions of the WASL-Gulf League by beating Manama Club in the Finals on both occasions.
With that, they became just 1 of 2 competitors to achieve a 'back-to-back' feat in the league, the other being Lebanese powerhouse Al Riyadi, who accomplished as much by conquering the WASL-West Asia League.
Of course, they would've wanted to net a 'three-peat' - which the Yellow Castle themselves did by sweeping the 2025 edition - but fell short in doing so after, as mentioned, a 2024-25 stint that went sideways.
Viewed as the heavy favorites given how they lorded over the first two WASL-Gulf seasons, Kuwait Club went 5-1 in the Group Phase but settled for 2nd in Group A behind Shabab Al Ahli due to the win-over-the-other rule.
Because of that, their path toward the Semi-Finals had to start at the Qualification to Semi-Finals - a stage they never competed in. Eventually, their 'treble' aspirations got crushed after getting swept by Ittihad Club.
Sub-Zone League run
Kuwait Club, though, have been treading the road toward redemption this season, extremely eager to exorcise the ghost of the past.
Similar to last season, they settled for a no. 2 finish in Group B behind Al Ula Club, and so they needed to get through the exact same stage in which they suffered a crushing end to their 'three-peat' attempt.
But the lessons from their first Qualification to Semi-Finals experience would come in handy. With enough knowledge on what to do in such a situation, they swept Muharraq Club to advance.
That win helped Coach Dusan Stojkov & Co. to forge a Semi-Finals showdown with, interestingly, Ittihad Club, who booked 1 of the 2 direct tickets to the said phase after finishing on top of Group A with a 5-1 record.
It was quite unfortunate, however, that the season got paused due to the situation in the region, robbing fans and observers alike the chance to witness how this budding rivalry would pan out in their intriguing rematch.
Fortunately, they're both in Group A in the upcoming Final 8 2026.
Players to watch
As exciting as their looming rematch is, Kuwait Club aren't losing sight of their one true goal: to win it all. Yes, they have been a pioneer of this league, but the biggest prize of 'em all has become so elusive for the Brigadiers.
They did manage to make it all the way to the Last Dance of the Final 8 inaugurals in 2023, but fell short against Manama - ironically the same team they beat to take home the WASL-Gulf League championship.
Since then, however, they have struggled to return to that very stage. So now, they're out to make it back there, and have called in a newer batch of seasoned reinforcements with the hope to, of course, hit their target.
Former NBA pro Chinanu Onuaku headlines their cast of imports, bringing with him experiences garnered not just from his time with the Houston Rockets but from a pro career that's been spanning for a decade now.
Kuwait Club have also acquired the services of Palestinian legend Sani Sakakini, who's back in WASL after previously playing for Al Riyadi back in 2024 and played for the Lebanese side for 7 games.
The veteran forward last played in a FIBA Asia club competition just last year, when he suited up for the New Taipei Kings during the BCL Asia-East 2025 in a brief stint with the ball club from Chinese Taipei.
Dae Dae Grant and Christian Brown, who once led the Lebanese Basketball Championship in scoring just last season, round up the stable of foreign players Kuwait Club have built for the fast-approaching Final 8.
So, it would be intriguing to see how the quartet would mesh with the locals bannered by the talented Hasan brothers, with Kuwait Club hoping to finally break through in the Final 8 that starts September 26.
FIBA