Bahrain Drawn into Tough U18 Asia Cup Group
Bahrain have been handed a challenging draw for the FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2026 after being placed in Group B alongside Lebanon, New Zealand and Syria for the continental showpiece in Ahmedabad, India.
The tournament will take place from August 13 to 23, with 16 teams divided into four groups competing for the Asian title and four qualification spots for the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2027.
Bahrain will open their campaign against Lebanon on Thursday, August 13, at 5pm, before facing New Zealand on Saturday, August 15, at 2pm. They will then wrap up their preliminary round fixtures against Syria on Monday, August 17, at 5pm.
Group A features defending champions Australia, Chinese Taipei, the Philippines and Thailand. Group C consists of China, Iran, Qatar and Sri Lanka, while hosts India headline Group D alongside Japan, South Korea and Kazakhstan.
Under the competition format, the four group winners will advance directly to the quarter-finals. Teams finishing second and third in each group will enter a play-off round on August 20, with the winners completing the last-eight line-up.
The quarter-finals will be held on August 21, followed by the semi-finals on August 22 and the gold medal match on August 23. The four semi-finalists will also secure qualification for the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2027, which will be held in Pardubice, Czechia, from June 26 to July 4 next year.
Bahrain will head into the continental challenge with confidence, but with little time to rest following a remarkable month that saw them claim two regional titles.
Head coach Salman Ramadhan’s side were crowned champions of the 23rd Arab Youth Men's Basketball Championship in Tunisia before adding the Gulf Basketball Association (GBA) U18 Championship title in Doha last week.
The Bahrainis secured the Gulf crown with a perfect four-win record, defeating hosts Qatar 79-73 in the final after earlier victories over Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Oman.
Bahrain are expected to retain much of the squad that delivered those back-to-back triumphs, with Somto Patrick Onoduenyi leading a talented group that includes Hasan Abdulkadir, Mahdi Baqer, Mujtaba Rayyan, Mohammed Adel and Yousif Meshael.
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