MENA Sports Wrap: Iran become region's last hope in FIBA basketball cup

Iran came back to beat Chinese Taipei in a thrilling basketball match this week, making them the last remaining contender from the MENA region in the FIBA Asia Cup, after Lebanon suffered a narrow defeat to New Zealand.

The Saudi Pro League has released its fixtures for the 2025-2026 season, while Qatar's Al-Duhail have secured their spot in the AFC Champions League competition in a nail-biting qualification match against Iran's Sepahan.

Iran's 'Team Melli' make it to the Asia Cup semi-finals

The Iranian basketball team remains the MENA region's sole contender in the FIBA Asia Cup tournament, after pulling off a stunning comeback to beat Chinese Taipei in the quarter-final on Wednesday, at Riyadh’s King Abdullah Sports City.

The Iranians climbed back to defeat their rivals 78-75 in the very last minute of the game, after having found themselves with a 21-point deficit during the match. Team Melli will now face Australia in the semi-finals on Saturday.

Mohammad Amini proved vital for the Iranian team’s turnaround, scoring 40 points in his performance. Star player Sina Vahedi also added 21 points and two triples, sending them into Saturday’s semifinal.

"I believe when we were not making shots, that bothered our mind and mentality," Iran coach Sotiris Manolopoulos said.

"At half-time, we had a long talk, and we changed the approach. We had to start from defence, to play aggressively possession by possession. We knew we will get our shots, and this time, we will make out shots. For the second half, we played to our maximum."

Iran is among the favourites to win the Asia Cup, having previously lifted the FIBA trophy three times before, but face a challenge with their semi-final draw against defending champions Australia.

Thursday proved heartbreaking for Lebanon, who were edged by New Zealand 90-86 in their quarterfinals.

The Lebanese team put on an impressive performance at the start of the match, finishing the first quarter 32-12, the second 45-30, and the third 62-52. New Zealand then rallied in the final quarter, narrowing the gap before eventually winning. They maintained their lead and finished the match with a four point margin.

The Lebanese national team, who finished as runners-up in 2022, had a challenging run in the competition, losing to Australia and South Korea but beating Qatar. The Cedars finished third in their group, forcing them to play in the play-offs to qualify for the quarter-finals. Lebanon managed to beat Japan 97-73 earlier this week.

Hosts Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Qatar failed to make it past the play-offs.

Saudi Pro League releases fixtures ahead of exciting season featuring new European stars

The Saudi Pro League has released its fixtures for the exciting 2025-2026 season, set to kickoff on 28 August. The season is expected to be one of the league’s most competitive yet, with high-profile players signing for several teams during this summer's transfer window.

Al-Ittihad will begin their title defence campaign with a fixture against Al-Okhood, before playing Al-Fateh the following week. In match week three, they will face rivals Al-Nassr.

Match week six will see them face Al-Hilal in the league’s first edition of the Saudi 'El Clasico'.

Al-Nassr, captained by Cristiano Ronaldo, will begin their campaign with an away match against Al-Taawon.

Meanwhile Al-Hilal, fresh off an impressive campaign at the FIFA Club World Cup, will face Al-Riyadh in a city derby, before facing AFC Champions League winners Al-Ahli for their third game of the season.

The league will also feature newcomers NEOM FC, Al-Hazem and Al-Najmah.

Fans will look forward to seeing a flurry of high-profile stars joining the Saudi Pro League this season.

French international and Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman is the latest European talented slated to join Al-Nassr, and is expected to sign a contract worth €25-30 million within days.

Coman will join former Barcelona defender Inigo Martinez and former Chelsea forward Joao Felix, both who recently signed for the Riyadh-based team.

The Saudi Pro League transfer window remains open until 10 September.

Qatar's Al-Duhail edge Sepahan, will play in AFC Champions League

Qatar’s Al-Duhail have successfully qualified for the AFC Champions League group stage, after defeating Iranian side Sepahan 3-2 in a thrilling Tuesday night match.

Al-Duhail came from behind to win the match to join China's Chengdu Rongcheng as the last teams to make it to the continental competition.

Sepahan’s Amir Hazbavi gave the Iranian side an early lead with a third minute goal, but their Qatari rivals made a comeback soon after with goals from Ibrahima Bamba, Adil Boulbina and Krzysztof Piatek all within the first-half, giving Djamel Belmadi’s team a comfortable lead with more than 45 minutes to go.

Milad Zakipour scored a late second goal for Sepahan in the 93rd minute, but proved too little too late for a comeback.

Following the win, Belmadi said: "We achieved what was important in this match by qualifying for the League Stage. We performed well in the first half, had many opportunities and were able to come back after falling behind."

Tuesday’s win will give Al-Duhail a boost ahead of the new Qatar Pro League season, which kicks off next Saturday against Al-Shahania.