Pots confirmed ahead of FIBA WASL Season 2 draw

BEIRUT (Lebanon) - Pots have been confirmed ahead of the Group Phase Draw proceedings for Season 2 of the FIBA West Asia League (WASL) set on Tuesday, 8 August, in Beirut.

Al Riyadi and Kuwait Club are, of course, in Pot 1 of the FIBA WASL West Asia and WASL Gulf leagues, respectively, being the defending champions of their Sub-Zones.

Coming back after conquering the 2022-23 Lebanese Basketball Championship, Al Riyadi are joined in the pot by reigning three-time Iranian Basketball Super League titlists Shahrdari Gorgan, the other protagonist in the inaugural West Asia League best-of-3 Final.

Al Riyadi and Gorgan faced off in the West Asia League Final

Pot 2, on the other hand, consists of the returning Al Naft, winners of the last six Iraqi Basketball League crowns, and 2022-23 Jordanian Premier League champions Al Ahli.

Al Ahli are one of the new West Asia competitors along with Syrian Basketball League champions Al Wahda and Orthodox Beit Sahour from Palestine, who are both slotted in Pot 3.

Dynamo Club of Lebanon and returning Syrian side Al-Ittihad Ahli of Aleppo will automatically be drawn to the group opposite of their domestic counterparts.

Meanwhile, joining Kuwait Club in Pot 1 of the Gulf League draw are budding rivals Manama of Bahrain, the first-ever FIBA WASL Final 8 champions.

Season 1 saw the two face each other in the Gulf Final and then in the Final 8 title bout, making Season 2 a tiebreaker of sorts as both teams got the best of one another in those encounters. Kuwait Club won the Gulf title via sweep but Manama got back by winning the Final 8 crown in Dubai.

Manama avenged their Gulf league Finals loss by beating Kuwait club to win the Final 8

Last season's Gulf League third-placers Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai are in Pot 2 together with Al Ahli Jeddah, the 2022-23 Saudi Premier League champions. In Pot 3 are Qatari champions Al Rayyan.

Returning team Kazma of Kuwait plus new participants Muharraq of Bahrain and another Qatari crew in Al Shamal will automatically be drawn to the group opposite of their domestic foes. 

FIBA