The FIBA Regional Office-Asia is revamping its storied Champions Cup tournament to a much bigger and more inclusive format.
On Thursday, the federation announced that the Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia) is set to begin in April featuring two qualifying rounds.
The first round is scheduled for April 3-7 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, while the second is set for April 23-26 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The said qualifiers will serve as a platform for two clubs to qualify for the BCL Asia, where they will join champion teams from the B.League, the Korean Basketball League, and the Philippine Basketball Association.
Two ball clubs from the FIBA West Asia Super League, where teams from the West Asia and Gulf regions are competing, will be taking part as well.
“Shaping International Club Competitions is one of FIBA’s strategic priorities for cycle 2023-2027, and we are happy to move forward in this direction,” said FIBA Asia Executive Director Mr. Hagop Khajirian in a statement.
“These qualifiers will not only showcase the best of East and South East Asian basketball, but will also provide a platform for clubs to rise and compete at the highest club competition in Asia,” he added.
The BCL Asia qualifiers for East and South East Asian clubs will have two rounds. Round 1 will feature eight teams from the East and Southeast Asia.
Mongolia and Indonesia will be bannered by two clubs each, and will be joined by league champions from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.
These eight squads will then be placed into two groups of four teams according to their national teams’ ranking in the FIBA World Ranking for Men.
The top team from each group will advance to the second round, while teams finishing second and third in each group will go head-to-head to determine the remaining two spots for the second round as well.
Round 2 will be played in a single-round robin format, and the top two clubs will earn their tickets to the BCL Asia, which is projected to be played in June.
