Qatar U-18 players and officials.
Doha, Qatar: The draw for the 2026 FIBA U18 Asia Cup placed Qatar in Group C alongside China, Iran and Sri Lanka, setting up a challenging campaign for the young Qatari team at the continental tournament, which will be held in Ahmedabad, India, from August 13 to 23.
The draw presents Qatar with a major test in the opening round against three teams with different playing styles and rich basketball traditions.
China and Iran are among Asia's traditional basketball powerhouses, while Sri Lanka will be aiming to make its mark on the continental stage.
Qatar will open their campaign against Iran on August 14, followed by a clash with China on August 16, before concluding the group stage against Sri Lanka on August 18.
All teams will rest on August 19 ahead of the knockout rounds.
Qatar qualified for the tournament through the Gulf U18 Championship in Doha, where the team finished runners-up with seven points to claim the silver medal and secure a place at the Asian Championship behind unbeaten Bahrain, who topped the standings with eight points.
The Qatari team impressed in the Gulf qualifiers, recording three consecutive victories by defeating Saudi Arabia 80-76, Kuwait 81-53 and Oman 80-67 to seal qualification. In the final match to decide the title, Qatar lost 45-77 to Bahrain, finishing with the silver medal in a campaign that highlighted the progress of the country's youth basketball programme.
The group stage will be played from August 13 to 18, followed by the knockout rounds.
The qualification stage for the quarterfinals begins on August 20, with the quarter-finals on August 21, the semi-finals and classification matches on August 22, and the final and third-place playoff on August 23.
Beyond the continental title, the championship also serves as a qualifier for the 2027 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in the Czech Republic, with the top four teams earning direct qualification.
Qatar enter the Asia Cup aiming to build on its Gulf success and test itself against the continent's elite. The team is led by Turkish head coach Cenkiz Karadag, assisted by Abdo Al-Harji, Hashim Zidan and Munir Ben Ghalla
FIBA U18 Asia CUP groups
Group A: Australia, Chinese Taipei, Philippines, Thailand
Group B: New Zealand, Lebanon, Bahrain, Syria
Group C: Qatar, China, Iran, Sri Lanka
Group D: Republic of Korea, Japan, India, Kazakhstan
