The East Asia Super League (EASL), Asia’s premier professional basketball league, has been designated as an official qualifying pathway to the Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia), FIBA’s flagship continental competition featuring all of Asia’s strongest teams.

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This historic step strengthens EASL’s position at the core of elite East Asian basketball, further integrating the league into FIBA’s global competition framework and recognizing the standard of play, professionalism and competitive excellence showcased throughout EASL’s first three seasons.

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With its multi market format, high level of competition and proven operations, EASL is the most effective platform for identifying the strongest clubs from each territory before they advance to pan-Asian competition. This new qualification role also streamlines the wider pathway in East Asia by providing a consistent standard of play, preparing clubs through regular cross border competition, and aligning smoothly with FIBA’s seasonal calendar. The structure ensures that teams advancing to BCL Asia do so on sporting merit and enter the continental stage battle-tested, organized and ready for elite competition.

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Under this new structure, the top performing EASL teams representing Japan’s B.LEAGUE, Korea’s KBL and the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) will secure direct qualification to BCL Asia. This system is firmly merit based and provides continuity, as the champion and best ranked teams from each domestic league compete in EASL. The move affirms that EASL stands as a premier multi-market league whose top clubs have demonstrated the quality expected on Asia’s biggest stage.

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This alignment elevates the importance of every EASL game and solidifies the league’s role as a central pillar in the regional basketball ecosystem, a place where champions from the continent’s most powerful leagues compete head-to-head before advancing to FIBA’s continental championship.

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“Being recognized as an official qualification pathway into BCL Asia is an enormous honor and a historic moment for EASL,” said EASL Chief Executive Officer Henry Kerins. “It reinforces that EASL is a premier destination for elite basketball in Asia and shows how deeply we are embedded within the international basketball structure. We are proud, grateful and excited to continue elevating the game across the region.”

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FIBA expressed support for the new structure, recognizing the quality and importance of EASL’s competition. The alignment contributes to a clearer global club pathway that connects EASL with BCL Asia and, at the top of the pyramid, the FIBA Intercontinental Cup. This framework strengthens collaboration between federations, domestic leagues and leading clubs seeking regular, high level international competition.

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EASL’s new designation ensures a unified pathway for top programs from the B.LEAGUE, KBL and the PBA, linking domestic excellence, international competition and FIBA’s continental platform more tightly than ever before. With qualification now determined by EASL performance, participating clubs enter BCL Asia with their best rosters, proven regional experience and readiness to compete at pan-Asian level.