The new men’s basketball season kicks off with a title match, as Petrolina AEK and TRIA EKA AEL will face off on Thursday, October 1, at “Kition” for the “Stelios Markidis” ECOMMBX Men’s Super Cup.
Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m., with league champion Petrolina AEK and cup champion TRIA EKA AEL vying for the first trophy of the 2026–27 season.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
This is also a historic matchup for the tournament, as AEK and AEL will face off for the first time in a Super Cup match. Despite both teams’ significant presence in the competition over the years, their paths have never crossed in a match for this particular trophy until now.
Petrolina AEK heads into its first official match of the new season having won the 2025–26 league title. The Larnaca team was crowned champion for the second consecutive year, defeating Keravnos 68–64 in the fifth and decisive final at “Kition” and clinching the series with a 3-2 victory.
They will face TRIA EKA AEL, which returned to title contention last season. The Limassol team won the Cup for the tenth time in its history and the first time since 2009, defeating Keravnos 81-79 in the final held last March at the “Tassos Papadopoulos – Eleftheria” arena.
The tradition of the Super Cup adds even more excitement to the matchup. AEL is one of the most successful teams in the history of the competition, with eight titles, one fewer than APOEL, which leads with nine titles. AEK also has a strong presence in the competition with seven titles.
AEL won the first Super Cup in the competition’s history in 1985, followed by victories in 1988 and 2003, and an impressive period of dominance from 2005 to 2009, when it lifted the trophy five consecutive times. Its most recent appearance in the Super Cup was in 2022, when it faced Keravnos.
AEK has begun to establish its own tradition in the competition in recent years, with victories in 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017, while in 2023 it defeated Anorthosis 60–58 at “Kition.” Last season, they also won the Super Cup, defeating Keravnos 86–75 at the same arena.
Thus, on Thursday night at “Kition,” two of the teams that have left a lasting mark on the history of Cypriot basketball will face off—but for the first time, with the Super Cup at stake.
For Petrolina AEK, the goal is to start the new season just as it finished the last one—by winning a title— while TRIA EKA AEL aims to continue its return to success following last year’s Cup victory.
Basketball fans can purchase their tickets online through the two teams’ ticket sales systems.
Petrolina AEK Tickets:
https://tickets.aek.com.cy/
TRIA EKA AEL BC Tickets:
https://tickets.ael.com.cy/
