Meet the FIBA WASL Gulf teams: Al Shamal
BEIRUT (Lebanon) - The upcoming FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) Season 2 could be an opportunity for Al Shamal SC to introduce themselves to a wider audience.
BEIRUT (Lebanon) - The upcoming FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) Season 2 could be an opportunity for Al Shamal SC to introduce themselves to a wider audience.
History
Al Shamal Sports Club were founded in 1980. From initially having a football team, the club branched out to various sports in the following years, including basketball.
They have been competing in the Qatari Basketball League and have won two championships thus far in 2019 and 2020. Their golden run in 2020 featured a prominent figure in West Asia basketball: Lebanese superstar Wael Arakji, who's returning to FIBA WASL with Al Riyadi this season.
Emblem
Homecourt
The team plays their home games at the Al-Rayyan Indoor Hall, sharing the venue with Al Rayyan, who are also set to compete in the new season of FIBA's latest pan-regional contest.
Path to FIBA WASL
Al-Shamal settled for a runner-up finish to Al Rayyan in the 2022-23 Qatari Basketball League. Although it prolonged their title drought, it still enabled them to qualify for FIBA WASL.
They will be playing in Group B of the Gulf League, which also features reigning FIBA WASL champions Manama, Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai, and Kazma - all returning teams.
Group B
0/12 games played
| GAMES | STREAK | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | Last 5 | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 | Al Manama | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | Shabab Al Ahli - Dubai | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Al Shamal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Kazma | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Players to watch
Qatar national team vanguards banner Al-Shamal's upcoming stint, such as multiple-time FIBA Asia Cup campaigner Erfan Ali Saeed and guard Mansour Atif Elhadary.
Among their reinforcements, meanwhile, is big man Efosa Osayande, who was a key figure for Palestine in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Pre-Qualifiers. He helped the team reach the Qualifiers proper through solid per-game averages of 20.0 points and 12.0 rebounds.
Also helping Al-Shamal in their quest for FIBA WASL glory are former NBA G-League campaigner Tyler Harris and Dexter Williams Jr., a Canadian NBL vet.
FIBA