Akari-Rizal will have its hands full representing the Philippines in the Women’s Basketball League Asia 2026 in India next month.
The WMPBL champions have been drawn into a difficult Group A together with Sichuan Yuanda Meile of the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association and Cathay Life of the Women’s Super Basketball League of Chinese Taipei.
FIBA announced the groupings and schedule of the annual tournament’s third edition, to be held on October 20-25 in Bengaluru, on Tuesday, September 8.
The Philippines will make its WBL Asia debut after being awarded a wild card slot, and the Sparks were chosen after ruling the 2026 WMPBL season.
Soon, Coach Derrick Pumaren & Co. will have their work cut out, as they will compete against two of the event’s more established teams.
The Pandas of China, for one, are the inaugural WBL Asia champions after winning it all in 2024. They will try to make it 3-for-3 for the country, as the 2025 competitions witnessed Dongguan New Century keep the tiara at home.
With the help of Natasha Howard and Chinese national team veteran Wang Siyu, Sichuan Yuanda booked a return trip by ruling the 2026 WCBA season after beating the Shanxi Flame in a best-of-5 Final that went the distance.
The Tigers of Chinese Taipei, on the other hand, are set to play in the WBL Asia for the third time in as many editions, the only team to do so.
Cathay Life kept its streak alive by conquering the 2026 WSBL wars at the expense Chunghwa Telecom, in the process winning its 16th straight title.
(C) WMPBL
Group B is composed of Denso Iris of Japan, the Cheongju KB Stars of Korea, and Indian Railways, who are tasked with carrying the fight for the host nation.
The teams have been divided into two groups according to the FIBA World Ranking for Women, presented by NIKE. The Group Phase, to be held on October 20-22, will be played in a single round-robin format.
The top two teams from each group will compete in the knockout crossover Semi-Finals, while the teams that will finish third in their respective groups will play in a Classification 5-6. These games will be played on October 24.
Winners of the Semi-Finals will play for the championship in the one-game Final on October 25. The losing sides, on the other hand, will compete in the Third-Place Game, which will be held just before the title bout.
All games will be played at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru.
