Today, Tuesday, the 25th edition of the men's basketball championship will kick off at the Cairo Stadium, featuring teams from Algeria, Libya, Somalia, and Mauritania in Group A, alongside Egypt, the record-holder with 12 titles, Tunisia, the runner-up from the last championship, Kuwait, the UAE, and Morocco in the competitive Group B. The defending champion, Lebanon, is absent due to the timing of the championship coinciding with Christmas and New Year celebrations.
The first round will see an intense match between Kuwait and Tunisia starting at 1 PM local time, followed by Algeria facing Somalia at 3:30 PM. Egypt will then meet the UAE at 7 PM after the opening ceremony. The matches will be held in a single round-robin format, with the top four from each group advancing to the quarter-finals scheduled for next Monday. The first place from each group will face the fourth place from the opposing group, while the second and third placed teams will compete in the semi-finals on Tuesday, culminating the championship the following day.
The golden record of the championship began in Iraq in 1974, where the Egyptian national team won its first title, followed by Iraq in second place, Lebanon third, and Algeria fourth. The Egyptian team has achieved this feat 12 times, while Tunisia has claimed second place four times, Saudi Arabia twice, and Sudan, Syria, Algeria, Jordan, and Lebanon once each.
