Qatar Men’s Basketball Cup Kicks Off Saturday

Doha: October 18 - The 12th edition of the Qatar Men's Basketball Cup kicks off on Saturday, the first competition of the sports season (2024-2025), which will be held in a knockout system, until October 31, with the participation of nine teams. Two matches will be played on Saturday, at the start of the competitions at Al Gharafa Hall. The first match will bring together Al Ahli and Al Khor in the preliminary round, with the winner qualifying to face Al Shamal in the quarter-finals of the competition. As for the second match, Al Gharafa and Qatar teams will meet in the quarter-finals, with the winner meeting Al Shamal and Al Ahli and Al-Khor in the semi-finals. The quarter-final matches will be completed next Monday with Al Rayyan and Al-Arabi matches, and Al Sadd and Al Wakrah, with the winner meeting in the semi-finals. The draw for the Cup Championship, which is held in a knockout system this season, resulted in Al Ahli and Al Khor playing the preliminary round match, while the remaining seven clubs s tarted the competition directly from the quarter-finals. Secretary-General of the Qatar Basketball Association Saadoun Sabah Al-Kuwari expressed his optimism about the start of the new season with the Qatar Cup Championship competitions, considering that this championship has become an important station in the local sports agenda, and an opportunity for clubs to demonstrate their readiness and compete for the title, looking forward to strong competitions in various rounds. The semi-final matches are scheduled to be held on October 26 at Al Gharafa Hall, and the two winners will qualify for the final match scheduled for the 31st of the same month. AlArabi team won the Qatar Cup Championship title last season at the expense of Al Ahli after winning the final match (80-73). Al Gharafa holds the record for the number of times it has won the tournament, which was first launched in 2014, with 4 titles in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2021, compared to three titles for Al Arabi in 2019, 2022 and 2024, and one title for e ach of Al Rayyan in 2016, Qatar 2018, AlWakrah 2020 and Al Sadd 2023. Source: Qatar News Agency