BEIRUT (Lebanon) - One of the most renowned sports clubs in the continent will grace the FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) stage as Ittihad Club are set to see action in the 2024/2025 competitions that opens very soon.
And given their pedigree, the team could also emerge as a contender out of Saudi Arabia. How and why? Take this quick course to learn more about them.
History
Commonly known as Al-Ittihad, the club was founded in December of 1927 among four football enthusiasts. Since then, as they say, the rest was history, as it would become one of the most successful teams in the Asian football scene.
But while most fans in the region associate the yellow-and-black to the beautiful game, Ittihad have made a mark in basketball as well, especially domestically.
They have won the Saudi Basketball League championship 16 times, making them the second winningest team in the country's premier hoops league. And although they've last won the crown in 2017, the squad only missed the Top 4 twice since then.
Ittihad have proven themselves in a FIBA club competition, too. They won the FIBA Asia Champions Cup (now known as the Basketball Champions League Asia) in 2001 by beating Al Rayyan. They also finished as runners-up in 2000 and 2002.
Emblem
Homecourt
A club based in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah in the Makkah Province, Ittihad play their home games at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports Hall.
Path to 2024/2025 FIBA WASL
Al Hilal were supposed to be KSA's representative in the upcoming FIBA WASL season after winning the 2023-24 SBL crown but due to their inability to participate, the honor of competing in the pan-regional tourney went to Ittihad, the runners-up.
FIBA