The Illawarra Hawks won the NBL championship in 2025, ending a two-decade drought to return to the top of the Australian domestic league.
This season, most of that title-winning core has returned, apart from a few big-name additions, most notably NBA veteran JaVale McGee.
But before the Hawks are able to defend their NBL title, they will first jet overseas to contest the FIBA Intercontinental Cup, taking on a number of other continental champions.
What is the FIBA Intercontinental Cup?
The FIBA Intercontinental Cup is a global invitational basketball tournament contested between champions of domestic leagues across the world.
Similar to football's Champions League, the Intercontinental Cup brings together six teams, including the Hawks, as they look to claim the ultimate glory in Singapore.
Last year, it was the Tasmania JackJumpers who represented the NBL in the tournament, with the Hawks now given the chance to claim further hardware before the launch of the season Down Under.
Which teams are in the 2025 FIBA Intercontinental Cup?
Six total teams will compete in this year's Intercontinental Cup, from all corners of the globe.
Split into two pools, each team will play against the other two teams in their pool once, before being filtered into the final standing game based on these results.
2025 FIBA Intercontinental Cup teams
| POOL A | POOL B |
| Alahli SC (LBY) | Flamengo (BRA) |
| Unicaja (ESP) | Illawarra Hawks (AUS) |
| Utsunomiya Brex (JPN) | NBA G League United (USA) |
When is the 2025 FIBA Intercontinental Cup?
This year's FIBA Intercontinental Cup begins on Thursday, September 18, when G League United takes on Flamengo.
The event will run for four days, with the title ultimately decided on Sunday, September 21.