Reigning champions Al-Fuheis Club of Jordan will open their basketball title defence against Kuwait’s Al-Fatat Club, as the basketball competition gets underway at the eighth edition of Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST 2026).
Held across Sharjah, under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Sharjah Family and Community Council, the Arab Women Sports Tournament, organised by Sharjah Women’s Sports, runs until 12 February with the participation of 65 teams representing 16 Arab countries.
Basketball matches are taking place at Al Batayih Cultural and Sports Club, as part of nine individual and team sports in the eighth edition of the tournament.
The technical meeting and official draw for the basketball competition occurred at Sharjah Women’s Sports headquarters, in the presence of Sheikha Hayat Bint Abdulaziz Al Khalifa, Chair of the Supervision and Follow-up Committee of the Arab Women Sports Tournament; Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Al Anzi, Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Olympic Committees; Mouza Al Shamsi, Director of AWST; Alyazia Al Suwaidi, Deputy Director of AWST; Saleh Ashour, Chair of the Technical Coordination Committee; and Ayyoub Lashkari, Vice Chair of the Committee.
The meeting concluded with the approval of the official basketball preliminary competition schedule, which will be played in a single round-robin league format.
Three matches are to be played daily, with the first tipping off at 12pm, followed by more at 2pm and 4pm.
Opening-day fixtures will see Ghaz Al Shamal Club of Iraq face Al Hala Club of Bahrain, followed by the meeting between Al-Fuheis Club of Jordan and Al-Fatat Club of Kuwait. The day concludes with an all-Emirati encounter between Khorfakkan Club and Sharjah Women’s Sports Club.