For most people, summer vacation is either drawing to a close or has already ended. The Winter Basketball League is no exception, and is entering the final stretch before the new season, as are our teams. They are slowly entering the phase of practices, transfers, finding courts, coaches, players, and general preparation.
Just like last year, this year’s Winter Basketball League will include four separate tournaments:
- the Nicosia League,
- the Limassol League,
- the Women’s League, and
- the Men’s Cup.
Regarding the 5th Nicosia League, which will start on Monday, October 13, 2025, it is expected that 20 teams will participate again this year (17 of these participated last year, plus 3 new ones). All teams have already been informed of their obligation to declare their rosters by September 14. Subsequently, after being checked by the relevant Committee, approved by the Winter League’s Board of Directors, and reviewed for any objections, the teams will be given an additional window to make 1-2 additions (if they wish) until October 4. From that point on, no changes will be allowed to the teams’ rosters until the end of the season.
A meeting has already been scheduled with the representatives of all teams for Friday, September 5, during which all relevant regulations and the format of the League will be explained, and any questions will be resolved. This year’s League will have an identical format to last year’s, meaning it will be divided into two phases.
In Phase A, two relatively balanced Regions with 10 teams will be created through a draw, and all teams will play against each other. The teams will first be separated into seeding groups based on the rosters they declare, followed by a draw to create the two Regions.
At the end of Phase A and depending on the teams’ standings in the two Regions, a new League will be created, divided into three Categories: Gold, Silver & Bronze, just like last year. The teams in each Category will first play against each other, and based on their standings, they will continue with the playoffs, which will determine the Champion of each Category.
As for the 3rd Limassol League and the 4th Women’s League, which will start a little later (in November), the relevant open invitations for teams to declare their participation in the new League have already been published. The deadline for the Limassol League is September 5, while the deadline for the Women’s League is September 15, 2025. For both of these tournaments, the format will be a Regular Season (in two rounds) followed by playoffs, depending on the teams’ standings. More details will be announced at a later stage.
Regarding the 2nd Men’s Cup, it will have the same format as last year, with single-elimination knockout matches, which will be determined by an open draw without any restriction or seeding separation. Teams from both Nicosia and Limassol will be able to participate in the Cup. The first phase of the Cup is expected to take place immediately after the Christmas holidays.
Finally, we would like to remind you that this year’s season will also include a fifth tournament from the Winter League, and perhaps the most important one: the 12th Panhellenic Veterans Basketball Championship, which will be held for the first time outside of Greece, specifically in Cyprus in the spring of 2026. This is undoubtedly a very important moment for Cypriot amateur basketball, and preparations have already begun. We will keep you informed as the event approaches.
We wish everyone a great basketball year, which, especially this year, will be more than eventful. Let the games begin!
