FIBA Intercontinental Cup to break new ground with 2022 edition taking place in Egypt
The next edition of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup is set to mark a landmark in the competition’s history, which started 56 years ago, as it will be held in February 2022 in Cairo, Egypt, taking place in an African country for the first time.
The event is poised to further enhance its unique transatlantic status by becoming the first club competition in basketball history to feature contenders representing four different regional leagues.
Zamalek SC of Cairo, fresh off being crowned champions of the inaugural Basketball Africa League campaign, will reach another milestone by becoming the first African club to compete in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup.
Reigning FIBA Intercontinental Cup champions and Basketball Champions League 2020-21 winners Hereda San Pablo Burgos are headlining the field of participants, looking to become the first club to win back-to-back Intercontinental Cup trophies since fellow Spaniards Real Madrid achieved the feat in 1977.
Brazil’s Flamengo was crowned Basketball Champions League Americas 2020-21 champions and will be returning to the Intercontinental Cup after three years when they reached the Final at home in Rio de Janeiro but lost to AEK Athens.
Lakeland Magic, the Orlando Magic affiliate that clinched the NBA G League title in 2020-21, will be making their first appearance in the intercontinental contest, picking the baton from fellow G League clubs Austin Spurs and Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
Hosted by the Egyptian Basketball Federation at the Hassan Mostafa Sports Hall in Cairo, the big event will tip-off on Friday, February 11, 2022, with the two Semi-Finals and conclude on Sunday, February 13, 2022, with the Final and the 3rd-Place game.
The 2022 edition also marks a return to the four-team format that was successfully reinstated in 2019. In 2021 the FIBA Intercontinental Cup was played in a single-game Final, as FIBA adapted the format due to the pandemic. The Final was held in Buenos Aires, and Burgos defeated Argentina’s Quimsa 82-73 to lift the trophy.
Real Madrid is the most successful club in competition history, having won the title on five occasions, the most recent one being their 2015 success over Brazil’s Bauru in Sao Paulo.
The draw of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2022 will take place early next year.