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 [...]
