Kazakhstan sweep CABA Qualifiers to earn U-18 Asia Cup berth; Kyrgyzstan's Kotov named MVP

Kazakhstan punched their ticket to the 2026 FIBA U-18 Asia Cup by winning all three games at the CABA (Central Asian Basketball Association) Qualifiers held in Tashkent from April 7-9, finishing atop the four-team round-robin tournament ahead of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
The Kazakhs were dominant throughout, opening with an 80-74 victory over hosts Uzbekistan before crushing Kyrgyzstan 90-37 and closing with a 100-30 demolition of Tajikistan. Their combined point differential of +129 across three games underlined the gulf between them and the rest of the sub-zone.
Uzbekistan claimed second place behind a strong finish. After falling to Kazakhstan in the opener, the hosts bounced back with a comfortable 72-32 win over Tajikistan before edging Kyrgyzstan 75-71 in a tense final-day encounter that decided second and third place.
Kyrgyzstan finished third — a creditable result for a young squad that showed two very different faces. Coach's side opened with an emphatic 86-35 rout of Tajikistan, were outclassed 37-90 by Kazakhstan in Game 2, then came within four points of upsetting the hosts in a nail-biting 71-75 loss to Uzbekistan on the final day.
The individual highlight of the tournament for Kyrgyzstan was point guard Stepan Kotov (SF), who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. The Edelweiss basketball academy product was the standout performer across the three games, earning praise from the Kyrgyz Basketball Federation.
Tajikistan finished fourth after losing all three games by wide margins (35-86, 32-72, 30-100), conceding an average of 86 points per game while scoring just 32.3.
Kazakhstan now advance as the CABA sub-zone representative to the FIBA U-18 Asia Cup, scheduled for later this year.