Esteghlal leading preparation for WASL qualifiers
Esteghlal Tehran’s basketball team has emerged as the frontrunner among Iranian top-flight contenders to resume training for the country’s West Asia Super League qualifiers.
The move comes following a decision by the Iranian Basketball Federation to declare the Premier League season null and void amid the ongoing conflict involving the United States and Israel. With no champion crowned, attention has now turned to a condensed competition featuring the top four teams from the regular season table to determine who will secure Asia’s coveted spot.
Shahrdari Gorgan leads the table with 16 wins from 19 games, level on 35 points with second-placed Esteghlal and Kaleh Mazandaran, while Tabiat sits fourth with 32 points courtesy of 13 wins.
Among these contenders, the Tehran Blues have taken the lead. Not only were they the first club to submit an official letter confirming their readiness to participate in the qualifying tournament, but they have now also broken the training deadlock, positioning themselves as the most serious candidate to claim the valuable Asian quota.
According to an official statement from the club, Esteghlal’s first training session will be held on Monday, with the team – led by former Iran head coach Mehran Shahintab – starting to implement physical conditioning and tactical drills in preparation for the upcoming showdown against their rivals.
Esteghlal’s Alireza Pourbafrani, the team director, confirmed the news in an interview with Varzesh3, stating: “Shahintab, while expressing gratitude to the club’s management, the players, and the unwavering support of the fans, has placed special emphasis on the importance of this path. Esteghlal is fully prepared to succeed in these upcoming matches, giving everything to defend the great name of this club.”
The national governing body has yet to announce the dates and schedule for the four-team event.