'WKBL Defending Champion' KB Stars vs 'Championship Three-Peat Challenge' Japan Fujitsu, Park Sin-ja Cup Opening Showdown!

*This content was translated by AI.

Women's Professional Basketball League (WKBL) 'Unified Champions' Cheongju KB Stars and 'Park Sin-ja Cup Defending Champions' Fujitsu Red Wave will engage in a full-scale battle from the first day of the tournament.

The WKBL (Korea Women's Basketball League) announced on the 7th that it has finalized the group draw and match schedule for the '2026 KB Kookmin Bank Park Sin-ja Cup,' which will be held from October 3 to 11 at the Cheongju Gymnasium in North Chungcheong Province.

According to the WKBL, the tournament opener on October 3 at 2 p.m. will feature a showdown between KB Stars and Japan's powerhouse Fujitsu.

The home team, KB Stars, is the league's strongest team, having won both the regular season and championship finals in the 2025-2026 season to achieve a unified title. They have also reached the top of the Park Sin-ja Cup twice (in 2016 and 2021). Facing them is Fujitsu, a strong team that finished third in the 2025-2026 Japanese W-League, aiming for a historic achievement: the first-ever 'three-peat' by an overseas invited team in the tournament's history, following back-to-back championships.

The matchup between the two teams is also a rematch of last year's Park Sin-ja Cup semi-finals. In the previous tournament's semifinals, the two teams clashed, with Fujitsu defeating KB Stars 78-73 to advance to the finals and lift the trophy. For KB Stars, this presents a prime opportunity for revenge on their home court.

Exciting matchups between domestic and international teams will continue. Bucheon Hana Bank, which holds the record for the most championships (three), will hunt for its first win against Australia's NBL1 on October 4. Ulaanbaatar from Mongolia and Carlton University from Canada, making their Park Sin-ja Cup debuts, will face Incheon Shinhan Bank and Yongin Samsung Life Insurance respectively on the opening day, October 3, to be put to the test.

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*This content was translated by AI.