Winning start for Bahrain at Arab Youth Basketball Championship

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain's youth national basketball team opened their 23rd Arab Youth Men's Basketball Championship 2026 campaign with a 60–51 win over Algeria on Saturday in Sfax, Tunisia.

The result gave the Kingdom a strong start to the tournament, which runs until July 6 and features six teams: Bahrain, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Egypt and hosts Tunisia.

Led by veteran coach Salman Ramadan, Bahrain edged a fluctuating contest in their opening fixture before pulling away in the final quarter to secure victory.

The game began with a fast start from the Gulf side, who raced into an 11–1 lead in the first quarter through the sharp shooting of Mujtaba Rayyan, including two three-pointers and driving finishes that forced an early Algerian timeout. The North African side responded by tightening up inside and capitalising on missed opportunities to cut the gap, though Bahrain still held a 15–12 lead after the opening period.

The second quarter developed into a more physical battle in the paint, with both teams struggling for consistency from range. Algeria gradually took control through turnovers and fast breaks, overturning the deficit to lead 34–27 at half-time.

Ramadhan’s side responded strongly after the break, producing a much-improved defensive display in the third quarter. The Bahrainis restricted Algeria’s scoring and improved their offensive execution to edge the period 44–43 and regain control heading into the final frame.

In the fourth quarter, Bahrain pulled away decisively, stretching the lead to 11 points behind improved three-point shooting from Hassan Abdulkadir and Mujtaba Rayyan. The Algerians called another timeout, but the Bahraini side held firm to close out a nine-point victory.

Mujtaba Rayyan led all scorers with 16 points, while Somto Patrick added 15 and Hassan Abdulkadir contributed nine in a balanced team performance.

Bahrain’s participation in Sfax forms part of their wider development programme ahead of the Gulf Basketball Association (GBA) U18 Championship 2026 in Doha, Qatar from July 17 to 22. The competition will serve as a qualifier for the FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2026 in Ahmedabad, India from August 13 to 23, with the top three teams securing qualification.

The national team now faces a quick turnaround, taking on hosts Tunisia today at 5:30pm (Bahrain time), before meeting Libya on Monday at 1pm. They then have a rest day on Tuesday.

Bahrain resumes action against Morocco on Wednesday at 1pm before concluding the preliminary round against Egypt on Thursday at 3:15pm.

The tournament follows a round-robin format, with the top two teams advancing to the gold medal match and the third- and fourth-placed sides competing for bronze.