The Athena Winner Women’s Basketball Premier League has officially launched its 2026/27 season at a festive event at Ono Academic College, attended by all league teams. During the event, the new game format, marketing plan, and planned activities for the upcoming season were presented, alongside a seminar by the Referees Union on updates to the rules of the game.
The season will consist of two rounds, at the end of which the top six teams will advance directly to the playoffs. The teams finishing in 7th to 10th places will compete in a play-in tournament for the remaining two spots, while the two non-qualifying teams will face each other in a survival series. Regular-season games will be played on Mondays, except for the main game each week, which will take place on Sunday and be broadcast live on the Sport Channel.
Directorate Chairwoman Dana Sander said: “We are opening a season with a change in the game format and a broad plan to strengthen the league, increase exposure, and deepen the connection to the audience. At the heart of our work are Israeli female players and the community.” Athena Director-General Ofri Yakir noted that as part of the support criteria for women’s sports, amounting to NIS 40 million, the Basketball Association received more than NIS 4 million for the development of girls, young women, and women’s basketball.
At the same time, the Directorate will expand community activities through the “Team Builds Community” program, under which each team will adopt three community teams in its city and work with them throughout the season. In addition, the league will collaborate with the SHVI REGA initiative to raise awareness of breast cancer, and The Pink Chair will visit courts during October and November. The Winner Cup final will take place in Kfar Blum as part of the effort to strengthen ties with northern communities and the confrontation line.
