Players battling for the ball.

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 11: The Kuwait Basketball Federation is bringing back the combined league system, organized into three divisions after a long hiatus. Eight clubs will participate under the new format: Kuwait Club, Kazma, Al-Qadsia, Al-Qurain, Sulaibikhat, Al-Nasr, Al-Arabi, and Al-Sahel.

The league’s top four teams will advance to the semifinals, where the first-place team will face the fourth, and the second-place team will play the third in a best-of-three playoff. Winners will move on to a best-of-five final, with the first team to win three matches claiming the championship. Kuwait Club has dominated recent seasons, winning the last five titles. The league’s start date will be announced after the conclusion of the Arab Championship in the UAE (September 25–October 7), featuring Kuwait, Al-Qadsia, and Kazma.

Historically, the Kuwaiti basketball league began in the 1961–1962 season with six clubs. Al-Qadsia leads with 23 titles, followed by Kuwait Club (15), Kazma (9), Al-Arabi (8), Al-Jahra (5), and Al-Sahel (1).

Al-Fatat Club’s women’s basketball team opened the 26th Arab Women’s Clubs Championship, “Al-Nimra Al-Arabiya,” with a 93-76 victory over Sharjah (UAE) at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Hall in Medina. The tournament runs until September 19.

Al-Qurain’s women’s team, Kuwait’s second representative, lost 76-93 to Al-Ula (Saudi Arabia) in their opening match, while COSIDAR (Algeria) narrowly defeated Bahrain’s Al-Hala 76-74. Al-