Bahrain get tough group for FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers

TDT | Manama    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s senior men’s national basketball team have been drawn in a tough Group F for the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers.

The official draw was held last night in Doha, placing the 24 participating teams in six groups of four nations each. These squads will vie for just 16 places at the final tournament.

Games will be played over three windows in February and November of next year, as well as in February of 2025.

The top two teams of each group qualify for the final tournament and the six thirdplaced teams will play another qualifying tournament for the final four places.

Bahrain are in the same group as Syria, Lebanon and the UAE. Group A includes Thailand, Australia, South Korea and Indonesia.

Group B features Chinese-Taipei, Hong Kong, the Philippines and New Zealand; while Group C comprises China, Guam, Japan and Mongolia.

In Group D are Iraq, Jordan, Palestine and Saudi Arabia; and Group E are Iran, Kazakhstan, India and Qatar.

The schedule of qualifying matches will be released in due course by FIBA Asia.

The FIBA Asia Cup is the continent’s premier basketball tournament, including teams from FIBA Asia as well as from FIBA Oceania.

Australia are the two-time defending champions. The host nation of the 2025 edition has yet to be confirmed.

Bahrain have appeared nine times in the tournament, with their best finish being 10th in the 1997 event.

In the previous edition last year in Jakarta, the Bahrainis put in a fine showing, losing all three of their games but nearly upsetting continental giants China and South Korea.

They opened their campaign with an 84-102 loss to Chinese-Taipei, before losing to China by just a single point 79-80.

They then wrapped up the group stage with a 73-78 defeat to South Korea. The nationals ranked 13th from the 16 participating squads in the tournament.