Basketball Champions League Asia | |
Organiser: | FIBA Asia |
Region: | Asia |
Promotion: | FIBA Intercontinental Cup |
First: | 1981 |
Teams: | 8 |
Champions: | Al Riyadi (3rd title) |
Season: | 2024 |
Most Champs: | Al Riyadi Sagesse (3 titles each) |
Tv: | YouTube (online streaming) |
Current: | 2024 Basketball Champions League Asia |
The Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia), formerly the FIBA Asia Champions Cup,[1] is an annual continental club men's basketball competition organised by FIBA Asia. It is the highest level club competition for basketball in Asia.
Introduced in 1981, as the Asian Basketball Club Championship, the competition rebranded in 2004 to the FIBA Asia Champions Cup. In 2024, the tournament was renamed as the Basketball Champions League Asia.[2]
Al Riyadi and Sagesse from Lebanon are the most successful teams in the history of the competition with three championships each. Lebanese and Iranian clubs have won the most titles with a total of six among teams from each of these countries.
The competition was first organised by the Asian Basketball Confederation in 1981, when the inaugural tournament was hosted in Hong Kong. The first-ever champions were the Bayi Rockets from China. In 1995, the name of the competition was changed to the ABC Champions Cup. After the ABC became integrated in FIBA in 2004, the competition was rebranded as the FIBA Asia Champions Cup.
In the 1990s, FIBA announced plans to expand the Intercontinental Cup with the teams from the BCL Asia, Basketball Africa League (BAL), NBL, and the NBA, at some point in the future.[3] [4]
In 2024, it was announced that the tournament will be renamed as the Basketball Champions League Asia, a name in line with other continental competitions in the Americas and Europe.
Al Riyadi Club Beirut and Sagesse from Lebanon are the most successful clubs in the history of the competition, having won three titles each. Clubs from Lebanon and Iran have the most combined titles, with a total of six each.
As of the 2024 season, teams can qualify for the BCL Asia directly through their national leagues, through the FIBA West Asia Super League or through the qualifying rounds.
Direct Qualification | China | Chinese Basketball Association |
---|---|---|
South Korea | Korean Basketball League | |
Japan | B.League | |
Philippines | Philippine Basketball Association | |
FIBA Zonal Leagues | Central, West Asia and Gulf | FIBA West Asia Super League champions |
FIBA West Asia Super League runners-up | ||
Qualifying tournaments | East and Southeast Asia | Winners of the qualifying round |
Runners-up of the qualifying round |
See also: Basketball Champions League Asia records and statistics.