UAE Basketball Federation Pushes Men's Open Start to September

By James Mercer • 11 September 2026, 07:42 • 3 mins read

The UAE Basketball Federation has postponed the Men's Open Championship to 17 September, citing club participation in international events. The tournament will now feature seven teams split into two groups, with a revised knockout format and possible further calendar changes.

The UAE Basketball Federation has postponed the start of the Men's Open Championship, moving the opening game to 17 September. The delay comes after several clubs confirmed they would be competing in international tournaments, forcing a late change to the domestic schedule and leaving teams to quickly adjust their plans.

The first game is now set for 7pm on 17 September, with Al Bataeh hosting Al Wasl. The shift isn't just a minor adjustment-some of the seven clubs are tied up with international fixtures, making the original calendar impossible to keep.

The Abu Dhabi EuroLeague Basketball SuperCup is officially scheduled for 18-19 September 2026, highlighting a packed international basketball calendar in the UAE during this period.

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To keep the competition fair, the Federation has divided the seven teams into two groups based on last season's league standings. Group A includes Shabab Al Ahli, Al Bataeh, and Al Wasl. Group B has Al Nasr, Sharjah, Al Wahda, and Al Jazira. Each group will play a double round-robin, home and away. All teams will move on to the knockout stage, regardless of their group results.

The knockout rounds are single elimination. Quarter-finals and semi-finals will be decided in one match, hosted by the higher-ranked team from the group stage. If there's no clear host, a draw will decide the venue. The same format applies to the third-place and final games, with international basketball rules in effect according to the latest updates.

Format changes like this aren't new in UAE sports. As previously reported, fixture reshuffles can disrupt club momentum and season planning, especially when international and domestic schedules overlap.

According to DCT Abu Dhabi, the EuroLeague SuperCup semifinals will take place on Friday, 18 September, at 18:00 GST and 21:00 GST in Abu Dhabi. This scheduling is significant, as it may create potential calendar conflicts with domestic competitions such as the Men's Open Championship. Despite earlier reports of possible cancellation, EuroLeague has officially confirmed that the SuperCup will proceed as planned.

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For the clubs, this means less time to prepare and the possibility of more changes if international commitments continue. Every team is guaranteed a spot in the knockout rounds, but with single-elimination games, one loss could end a season's hopes in forty minutes.

The Federation's decision to accommodate international play shows a willingness to adapt the domestic season for the bigger picture of UAE basketball. But it also means disrupted routines, shifting schedules, and a tournament where every match could be a team's last. This season, teams will need to be ready for sudden-death games from the very start.

Topics: UAE Sports Events Federations & Governance #Al Wasl FC #Al Bataeh Club #UAE Basketball Association

UAE CUE Sports Desk

James Mercer

James Mercer is the Founder, Owner, Publisher and Managing Director of UAE CUE Sports, where he oversees editorial direction and the publication's development across the Emirates. He writes about UAE sport, sports media, major events, venues, sports business and the wider relationship between participation, audiences and the country's sporting industry.