Arab champions Bahrain chase Asian Cup return

TDT | Manama

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Bahrain’s Under-18 national basketball team departed for Doha yesterday ahead of the Gulf Basketball Association (GBA) U18 Championship 2026, which gets underway tomorrow and runs until July 30.

The regional tournament was originally scheduled for earlier this month before being postponed, with Qatar now set to host the five-team competition at Al Gharafa Sports Club Arena in Al Rayyan. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman will join Bahrain and the hosts in the race for the title, while the UAE will not participate.

Beyond the regional crown, the tournament also serves as the qualifying event for the FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2026, with three qualification places available for the continental finals, scheduled to take place in Ahmedabad, India, from August 13 to 23.

Bahrain head into the competition with confidence after successfully defending their Arab U18 Championship title earlier this month in Tunisia, continuing a strong run under head coach Salman Ramadan.

The national team is expected to feature a squad similar to the one that lifted the Arab trophy, led by tournament Most Valuable Player Somto Patrick Onoduenyi and fellow standout Hassan Abdulkadir, who formed one of the competition’s strongest frontcourt partnerships.

Bahrain completed their preparations with intensive training sessions at the Bahrain Basketball Association Arena in Um Al Hassam Sports Complex before departing for Doha.

The tournament will be played in a single round-robin format, with Bahrain opening their campaign against Saudi Arabia tomorrow at 6pm Bahrain time. They will then face Kuwait at 4pm, Oman at 4pm, before concluding their schedule against hosts Qatar at 6pm.

The young Bahrainis will be aiming to secure a return to the Asian stage after finishing third in the previous Gulf qualifiers in 2024. A successful campaign in Doha would mark Bahrain’s first appearance at the FIBA U18 Asia Cup since the 2018 edition in Thailand.