Iran’s Tabiat learn fate in BCL Asia 2025

Al Riyadi are coming as the reigning champions, looking to sustain the triumphs they have achieved thus far this 2024-25 season that included successful title defenses in the recent FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL).

The Lebanese powerhouses are bannering a cast of nine teams, with 2024 BCL Asia runners-up Shabab Al Ahli back in the fold as hosts of the continent’s most-highest club competition for the second straight year.

Also in the mix are the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots and the Ulaanbaatar Xac Broncos, both of which completed the ensemble after reaching the BCL Asia-East 2025 Final 4 championship round in Ulaanbaatar.

FIBA WASL runners-up Tabiat Basketball, Chinese Basketball Association champions Zhejiang Guangsha Lions, and Korean Basketball League titlists Changwon LG Sakers are part of the field as well.

Newly minted Japan B.League champions Utsunomiya Brex and the Meralco Bolts, the defending Philippine Cup champions of the Philippine Basketball Association, complete this year’s BCL Asia picture.

The nine teams have been split into three groups of three, with the top eight teams qualifying for the Quarter-Finals. The pairings will be determined through a draw to be held after the last Group Phase game.

Tabiat are drawn in Group A along with Ulaanbaatar Xac Broncos and Zhejiang Guangsha Lions.

The four winners in the Quarter-Finals will qualify for the Semi-Finals. The Semi-Finals victors will then advance to the one-game Final, while the losing sides will compete in the Third-Place Game.

The champions by the end of the week-long tournament will also earn the right to represent Asia in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2025 in Singapore, FIBA’s most prestigious club competition.

The Basketball Champions League Asia 2025 is set on June 7-13 in Dubai. The Group Phase will be played at the Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall, with the Coca-Cola Arena to play host to the Final Phase.

MNA