Doha – January 23, 2026:
The Qatar General Basketball League competitions for the 2025-2026 sports season continue with increasing competitive momentum, as Saturday evening, January 24, 2026, features two important matches: Al Wakrah against Qatar Club, and Al Gharafa against the defending champions Al Arabi. These come at a sensitive time as the second phase of the league nears its end.
In the first match, Al Wakrah will face Qatar Club at exactly 6:00 PM at Al Gharafa Hall. This encounter holds special importance for both teams in terms of their overall standings.
Al Wakrah currently sits in fifth place with 22 points, earned from 7 wins and 8 losses. The team aims to strengthen its position among the spots qualifying for the “Play-In” stage, amid intensifying competition and closely bunched points among the teams.
Meanwhile, Qatar Club enters the match in eighth and penultimate place with 17 points, achieved from 2 wins and 13 losses. They hope to improve their position in the standings and distance themselves from the bottom zone, relying on the importance of every game at this stage of the season.
The second match pits Al Gharafa against Al Arabi – the defending champions – at 8:00 PM at Al Gharafa Hall, in one of the round’s most prominent fixtures.
Al Gharafa occupies seventh place with 20 points, collected from 5 wins and 10 losses. They aspire to achieve a positive result that boosts their chances in the race to approach the “Play-In” positions.
On the other side, Al Arabi enters the game in fourth place with 24 points, having secured 11 wins against just 2 losses. They have played the fewest matches so far, with only 13 games.
The title holders aim to continue their positive results and maintain their position among the leading teams, amid strong competition for the top four spots.
Al Rayyan leads the overall standings with 29 points from 15 matches, followed by Al Ahli in second place with 25 points, then Al Sadd in third with the same 25 points, while Al Arabi sits fourth with 24 points. Al Wakrah is fifth with 22 points, followed by Al Shamal in sixth with 21 points, Al Gharafa seventh with 20 points, Qatar Club eighth with 17 points, and Al Khor trails in ninth place with 15 points from 14 matches.
This heated competition unfolds under the new “Play-In” system introduced this season, which has added further excitement and intensity to the league matches. It grants teams finishing from third to sixth an additional opportunity to compete for the title, making every match and every point directly impactful on the shape of the final stages.
According to the approved format, the “Play-In” matches will take place on January 31, 2026: the third-placed team faces the fourth-placed team directly, with the winner advancing to the semifinals. Meanwhile, the fifth- and sixth-placed teams meet, and the winner of that game faces the loser of the third-vs-fourth match to determine the second semifinal qualifier.
With the end of the league’s second phase approaching, the struggle among the clubs intensifies—both at the top and at the bottom—due to the close points and intertwined calculations. This makes the remaining rounds decisive in shaping the teams that will qualify for the “Play-In” stage, placing all teams in front of real tests of their ability to handle pressure and achieve their goals in the current season.