Gulf U-16 Basketball Championship is of great importance for future talents: Saadoun Al Kuwari

Doha: The Gulf Basketball Federation, in collaboration with its counterpart, the Bahrain Basketball Federation, is actively engaged in finalizing preparations for the Gulf U-16 Basketball Championship. This tournament is set to take place in the Kingdom of Bahrain from July 22 to 27, 2025, featuring six participating teams: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, the Sultanate of Oman, and Kuwait. All matches will be conducted at the Umm Al Hassam Sports Hall.

This tournament holds significant importance, as both the champion and the runner-up will secure two direct spots in the U-16 Asian Cup Finals, scheduled to occur in Mongolia in September 2025. In this regard, Saadoun Sabah Al-Kuwari, Secretary-General of the Qatar Basketball Federation and Secretary-General of the Gulf Basketball Federation, conveyed his hopes for the success of all teams involved, urging them to showcase the high technical standards that Gulf basketball is known for. He highlighted the significance of this event, which will grant the champion and runner-up two berths to the Asian Cup Finals, thereby enhancing the technical quality of the tournament and fostering enthusiasm and competition among the teams in the Gulf Championship.
He stated, "We at the Gulf Basketball Federation, in partnership with the Bahrain Basketball Federation, are committed to organizing an outstanding tournament that reflects the advanced level of the sport in the region."

Al Kuwari emphasized: "We always strive, in cooperation with the Asian Football Confederation, to develop Gulf competitions and enhance the efficiency and quality of teams. Granting two direct spots to the Asian Cup through the Gulf Championship is an international recognition of the development of the youth categories in the Gulf countries and gives national teams a greater incentive to excel and qualify."

Al Kuwari added: "Through this tournament, we seek to enhance the readiness of Gulf national team players and achieve our long-term goals of discovering talent, expanding the practice base, and building teams capable of competing on the continent and internationally."

Draw and Groups
The tournament draw has resulted in the division of teams into two distinct groups. Group A comprises Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE, whereas Group B consists of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the Sultanate of Oman.

The tournament is set to commence on July 22, 2025, with Qatar competing against Kuwait at 5:00 PM in Group A, followed by a match between Bahrain and Oman at 7:30 PM in Group B.

On the subsequent day, July 23, 2025, the UAE will face Qatar at 5:00 PM in Group A, followed by a match between Oman and Saudi Arabia at 7:30 PM in Group B.

The group stage will conclude on July 24, 2025, with Kuwait taking on the UAE at 5:00 PM, followed by a match between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain at 7:30 PM.

All teams will observe a rest day on July 25, 2025, after the completion of their group stage matches.

In accordance with the tournament format, the leading two teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals, where the top team from Group A will compete against the second team from Group B, and the leading team from Group B will face the second team from Group A. The semi-finals are scheduled for July 26, 2025.