2025–26 USM Alger basketball season

On September 12, the 2025–26 season of the Algerian Basketball Super Division began, featuring 14 participating teams and a new competition format recently adopted by the Algerian Basketball Federation (FABB). The 2025–26 Super Division was played in two phases: a 26-match regular season, followed by play-offs for the title and play-downs to avoid relegation. The top six teams qualified directly for the play-offs, while the bottom four will battle to avoid relegation. The play-off series is played in best-of-three or best-of-five formats, with home advantage given to the higher-ranked teams.^[1]

USM Alger made a successful start to the Super Division, with two straight victories in the opening rounds of the Super Division, confirming its ambitions. In an away fixture on the court of CS Tlemcen, the Usmists showed character in a narrow 63–61 win. In a game that went down to the wire, it was Ahmed Boutiba (17 points) who carried the team offensively, well supported by Bacim Medjoubi, who proved valuable on both ends of the floor with 8 rebounds. Team spirit also played its part, as four different players each dished out 2 assists, a clear reflection of the collective mindset driving the squad.^{[citation needed]}

USMA defeated WO Boufarik 83–68 at Salle OMS Abdelaziz Ben Tifour in Hydra. Faredj Messaoudi scored 14 points, Laamouri Merahi recorded 13 rebounds, and Zakariya Khodja recorded 8 assists. Following the win, USM Alger moved to four points, level with NB Staouéli in the Super Division standings.

On September 26, USM Alger faced their city rivals MC Alger. The match ended in a defeat for USMA, with a final score of 69–68. USMA had taken the lead after three quarters (16–14, 16–19, 18–20), but eventually gave way in the final, which was won by MC Alger (19–15). On an individual level, Ilyes Fodil finished as the team’s top scorer with 15 points, while Laamouri Merahi delivered, recording 16 rebounds and 7 assists. Despite these efforts, USM Alger left the court with a one-point loss in this Algiers derby.^[2] On October 17, 2025, USM Alger came close to pulling off an upset on the court of NB Staouéli, narrowly losing 61–64. Trailing by 13 points at halftime (27–40), the Red and Black mounted a comeback to level the score (49–49) before the final quarter. Despite their efforts and solid defense, they conceded in the dying seconds on a three-pointer from Amine Bensalah. USMA was 9th in the standings with 9 points.^[3][4]

USM Alger won the 2026 Algerian Women's Basketball Cup after defeating MC Alger 63–57 at the Mohamed-Boudiaf Olympic Complex in Algiers. The Red and Black produced a remarkable comeback after trailing 33–26 at halftime. Dominated during the opening half, USMA raised their level after the break, particularly in the third quarter, before taking control in the final period. USMA’s victory was driven by Yahou Hadjer and Reguig Neyla, who finished as the team’s top scorers with 18 points each. Fantazi Radia also played a decisive role with 14 points and four assists, while Allik Simine added 10 points.^[6]

On the boards, Reguig Neyla stood out with 11 rebounds, supported by Fantazi Radia and Ahmin Meriam, who collected eight rebounds each, helping USMA dominate the key moments of the second half. USMA won the first, third, and fourth quarters (15–14, 21–14, and 16–10), while MCA took the second quarter 19–11. With this victory, USMA secured the third Algerian Women's Basketball Cup title in the club’s history after their previous triumphs in 1979 and 1986, ending a forty-year wait for the trophy.^[6]