The 2025 Basketball Women’s Presidential Cup will find its champion on Wednesday when reigning Süper Lig winners Fenerbahçe Opet take on Turkish Cup holders Çimsa ÇBK Mersin at Ankara Sports Hall.
The match marks the 30th edition of the prestigious Cup, first contested in 1993, though interruptions over the past decade – including the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 and the Kahramanmaraş earthquake in 2023 – have occasionally paused the tournament. Ankara, which has long been a hub for elite women’s basketball, will host the final for the 21st time.
Tomorrow’s showdown is more than a single game; it is the continuation of a developing rivalry.
Fenerbahçe Opet and ÇBK Mersin face off for the fourth consecutive Presidential Cup.
In 2019, Fenerbahçe triumphed 86-62 in Kayseri.
ÇBK Mersin bounced back to claim its historic first title in 2022 with an 84-78 win in Ankara, before Fenerbahçe edged them 65-64 in last year’s narrow thriller.
The familiarity and intensity between these two sides promise another closely fought contest.
Fenerbahçe’s legacy in the Cup is unmatched.
Having appeared in every final since 2004, they are competing in their 19th consecutive and 24th overall final, with 13 victories and 10 runner-up finishes.
Their first title came in 1999 with a win over Galatasaray, followed by back-to-back triumphs in 2000 and 2001.
Over the years, victories against Erdemirspor, Beşiktaş, and Galatasaray have reinforced their dominance, most recently defeating ÇBK Mersin in 2019 and 2024.
The club holds the dual distinction of being the most frequent participant and the most decorated team in the competition’s history.
ÇBK Mersin, meanwhile, seeks to recapture the magic of 2022 in its fourth final appearance.
The team has established itself as a resilient competitor, capable of challenging Fenerbahçe’s supremacy and rewriting the narrative of Turkish women’s basketball.
Galatasaray remains the only team to achieve six consecutive Cup victories, dominating the tournament’s formative years from 1993 to 1998, while accumulating a total of eight titles.
Other champions include BOTAŞ (2002, 2003), Hatay Büyükşehir Belediyespor (2016, 2018), Beşiktaş (2006), Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyespor (2009), and Yakın Doğu Üniversitesi (2017), reflecting a landscape where a handful of elite clubs have periodically broken through.
