Basketball

Seven Arab teams compete in AWST 2026 basketball

Basketball competitions will begin on Tuesday, February 3, as part of the eighth edition of the Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST 2026), being organised by Sharjah Women’s Sports from February 2 to 12 across the Emirate of Sharjah. The biennial tournament brings together 63 teams from 16 Arab countries, competing across nine individual and team sports.

The basketball competition features seven teams representing six Arab countries, making it one of the tournament’s most competitive and widely-followed sports. The strong participation reflects the rapid development of women’s basketball at the club level across the Arab region, alongside the rising technical standards of participating teams.

Competing in the basketball event are Sharjah Women’s Sports Club and Khorfakkan Women’s Sports Club (United Arab Emirates), Al Fatat Sports Club (Kuwait), Al Hala Club (Kingdom of Bahrain), Shabab Fuheis Club (Jordan), Ghaz Al Shamal Club (Iraq), and Al Amal Sports Club – Al Watan Al Qibli (Tunisia).

Basketball matches and training sessions will be hosted at Al Bataeh Cultural and Sports Club. Meanwhile, Al Riqa Children’s Centre will host the teams’ official training sessions. This arrangement ensures the highest technical and organisational standards and supports the teams’ readiness throughout the tournament.

Pride in hosting basketball was expressed by His Excellency Mohammed Abdullah bin Halis Al Ketbi, Chairman of Al Batayih Cultural and Sports Club, who highlighted the venue’s capacity to accommodate more than 500 spectators and the inclusion of community activities showcasing local culture alongside the competitions.

Sharjah Women’s Sports invites fans and basketball enthusiasts to attend the matches, support Arab women athletes, and experience the competition firsthand in an atmosphere that reflects the growing momentum of women’s sport across the region. Match schedules are available on the tournament’s official website, https://awst.ae/

Host clubs and facilities have confirmed the completion of all maintenance and preparations, and announced their full readiness to stage competitions and training sessions in line with the highest standards, ensuring smooth operations, capacity for all spectators, and a comprehensive sporting experience befitting the scale of the event.

Basketball remains one of the tournament’s flagship sports, enjoying strong public and media interest due to its fast-paced nature and advanced skill level. The competition also serves as a prominent platform to showcase the progress of Arab women’s clubs and their ability to compete at the regional level.

The organisation of the basketball competition aligns with the tournament’s broader vision to present an integrated sporting model that strengthens women’s participation in competitive sport and reinforces Sharjah’s position as a regional hub for women’s sport, bringing together clubs and athletes from across the Arab world.

WAM

Basketball

Mahrez: Things are under control!

Algerian star Riyad Mahrez, winger for Al-Ahli, expressed his great happiness with the resounding 4-0 victory against Al-Ettifaq, stressing that “Al-Raqui” achieved the goals set for the match and combined technical level with a great result.

In exclusive statements to Asharq Al-Awsat after the end of the match, Mahrez said: “We are living moments of happiness now, and thank God we played a very good match, and the most important thing for us was to collect the three points. Scoring four goals while keeping a clean sheet is ideal, and we are very pleased with what was achieved.”

Regarding the upcoming match against Al-Hilal in the next round, Mahrez stressed the need to approach it calmly, saying: “We must treat the Al-Hilal match like any other match in the league; we will prepare for it with the same usual seriousness, and we will go to the field with all our strength in order to achieve victory and continue the series of positive results.”

In a confident message to the club’s fans about the team’s ambitions in the competition, Mahrez concluded his remarks by addressing his previous promise to win the title, saying: “Things are under control.”

Asharq Al-Awsat