Qatar Hosts 3-Nation Basketball Friendly at Al Janoub Stadium

DOHA - The Qatar Basketball Federation announces the organization of the international friendly tournament “3 Nations Friendly Games” featuring the national teams of Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. The competition will take place from August 20 to 22, 2026, at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, marking another milestone in Qatar’s basketball preparations for upcoming commitments, including the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 qualifiers and the Asian Games “Aichi-Nagoya 2026.”The timing of the tournament is particularly significant for the Qatari national team, which is entering a busy phase of international and continental engagements. The three‑nation friendly games precede the fourth window of the Asian qualifiers for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027, followed shortly by preparations for the Asian Games in Japan this September.For the Qatari coaching staff, the tournament provides a valuable opportunity to play a series of closely scheduled matches, assess the players’ technical and physical readiness, enhance team cohesion, and experiment with tactical options before resuming official competitions.The “3 Nations Friendly Games” will unfold over three consecutive days, offering a competitive environment among three Gulf teams. Qatar opens its campaign against Bahrain on Thursday, August 20, at 7:00 PM at Al Janoub Stadium. Bahrain then faces Saudi Arabia on Friday, August 21, before Qatar concludes the tournament against Saudi Arabia on Saturday, August 22, also at 7:00 PM.The friendly event comes just days before Qatar begins its fourth‑window qualifiers, starting with a home match against China on August 27 in Doha, followed by an away fixture against Japan on August 30. These matches are expected to be technically demanding, as Qatar faces experienced Asian opponents.Qatar’s commitments continue in the subsequent qualification windows, hosting South Korea on November 26, 2026, and Japan on November 29 in Doha, before closing the second phase with away games against China on February 26, 2027, and South Korea on March 1, 2027.Parallel to the World Cup qualifiers, Qatar will also compete in the Asian Games “Aichi-Nagoya 2026,” scheduled from September 19 to October 4 in Japan. The men’s 5×5 basketball draw placed Qatar in Group B alongside Iran, Jordan, and Chinese Taipei, forming a strong group that requires thorough preparation.The choice of Al Janoub Stadium as the venue carries special importance, as the facility has been converted and equipped from a football stadium into a basketball‑ready arena. The tournament will serve as a practical test of Al Janoub’s readiness to host basketball matches, including court setup, facilities, and operational aspects. This experience is crucial ahead of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027, which will be staged for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa region from August 27 to September 12, 2027, across the venues of Lusail, Duhail, Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah, and Al Janoub.

Qatar U-18 Basketball Team Set to Depart for India on Tuesday

DOHA- The Qatar U-18 basketball team delegation will depart for Ahmedabad, India, on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, in preparation for the FIBA U-18 Asian Championship 2026.The tournament draw placed Qatar in Group C alongside China, Iran, and Sri Lanka, setting up a challenging continental campaign scheduled in Ahmedabad from August 13 to 23, 2026.The group stage will see Qatar face Iran in its opening match on August 14, followed by China on August 16, before concluding against Sri Lanka on August 18.Qatar’s participation comes after securing qualification through the Gulf U-18 Championship hosted in Doha, where the team finished second with seven points and claimed the silver medal, earning a spot in the Asian finals behind Bahrain, who topped the standings with eight points.The Asian Championship features four groups: Group A includes Australia, Chinese Taipei, the Philippines, and Thailand; Group B features New Zealand, Lebanon, Bahrain, and Syria; while Group D brings together Korea, Japan, India, and Kazakhstan. The competition promises high-level encounters among Asia’s brightest young talents.Group stage matches run from August 13 to 18, followed by a rest day on August 19. Knockout rounds begin August 20, with quarterfinals on August 21, semifinals and classification matches on August 22, and the final on August 23, preceded by the third-place playoff.Beyond the continental title, the championship serves as a qualifying pathway to the FIBA U-19 Basketball World Cup 2027 in the Czech Republic, with the top four teams earning direct qualification.The Qatar U-18 squad completed its domestic training camp at Al-Gharafa Sports Club, under the guidance of Turkish head coach Cengiz Karadağ. The delegation will be led by Mr. Saadoun Sabah Al-Kuwari, Secretary-General of the Qatar Basketball Federation and Director of National Teams. The administrative staff includes Team Manager Khalid Ahmed Al-Mughni, Omar Ahmed, and Ayoub Rahmatullah. The technical staff features Algerian coach Mounir Ben Ghalla, assistant coach Hashim Zaidan, fitness coach Kenan, and physiotherapist Saif Al-Din Al-Hamandi.The national team roster comprises: Abdullah Yassin, Tamim Ashraf Abu Issa, Ziad Al-Bitar, Moaz Omar Mousa, Azzam Mohamed Yaken, Ziad Tamer Al-Johari, Mohamed Saeed Badri, Mahmoud Tamer Ibrahim, Amer Ibrahim Mousa, Owen Ikina, Youssef Walid Abdelqader, and Shahi Mohamed.Qatar enters the Asian Championship with ambitions of delivering strong performances against elite continental teams, building on the experience gained in the Gulf qualifiers, and aiming to achieve positive results and a distinguished presence in one of Asia’s premier youth competitions. 

Team Qatar Set for Asian Games Basketball Challenge at Aichi–Nagoya 2026

DOHA – The Qatari national basketball team is preparing for a highly competitive campaign at the 20th Asian Games “Aichi–Nagoya 2026,” as the continent’s leading basketball nations gear up for one of the year’s major multi-sport events.The Asian Games will take place in Japan from September 19 to October 4, 2026, bringing together athletes from across Asia in a wide-ranging program of sporting competition. Basketball is once again expected to be among the most closely followed team sports at the Games.Qatar’s participation in Nagoya comes as part of the national team’s continued pursuit of excellence on the continental stage. The tournament will provide another important opportunity for the team to test itself against some of Asia’s strongest basketball program and further strengthen its competitive experience.The national team enters the Games with a proud history in international basketball. Qatar made history by qualifying for the FIBA Basketball World Cup for the first time in 2006, when Japan hosted the global tournament.The landmark achievement represented a defining moment for Qatari basketball and demonstrated the national team’s ability to compete at the highest levels beyond the regional arena.Qatar has also enjoyed notable success at the continental level, securing bronze medals at the FIBA Asia Championship in 2003 and 2005. In 2004, the national team added another major achievement to its record by winning the Asian Challenge Cup.At the regional level, Qatar has established a strong and enduring presence through its participation in the Gulf Championship and the West Asia Championship, where the team has collected a number of titles and consistently competed among the region’s leading basketball nations.As the countdown to Aichi–Nagoya 2026 continues, Qatar will look to build on this legacy and deliver another strong performance on the Asian stage, carrying with it the experience of decades of international competition and a determination to compete with Asia’s best. 

A new historic achievement for Qatari and Arab women

Qatari mountaineering legend Sheikha Asma bint Thani Al Thani has successfully summited 11 of the world’s 14 mountains exceeding 8,000 metres, continuing her extraordinary journey towards completing the world’s highest peaks.Her latest achievement was reaching the summit of Gasherbrum II, located in the Karakoram mountain range on the border between Pakistan and China.These peaks hold exceptional significance, as they rise into what is known as the “Death Zone,” where oxygen levels drop dramatically and conditions become extremely dangerous. 

Qatar’s Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan Named Asia’s Best Men’s Beach Volleyball Players

Bangkok — Qatari beach volleyball standouts Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan have been recognized as Asia’s Best Men’s Beach Volleyball Players at the inaugural Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Gala 2026, held in Bangkok.The prestigious award acknowledges the duo’s remarkable run of performances in continental and international competitions, further cementing their standing among the continent’s elite beach volleyball stars.The accolade marks a new milestone in the development and success of Qatari beach volleyball, while underscoring the national team’s sustained excellence and growing impact on both the continental and international stages.

2026 Asian Youth & Junior Weightlifting Championships Open in Uzbekistan

Tashkent - The 2026 Asian Youth & Junior Weightlifting Championships kicked off in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Saturday.Running until Aug.14, the event features more than 300 weightlifters of both genders hailing from 29 countries.The opening ceremony was held at Tashkent Olympic City and attended by an elite group of officials and sports figures, alongside representatives of national and international federations and participating delegations.This pageantry occasion demonstrated the stature of weightlifting in Asia and the increasing interest in advancing young talents.Addressing the inauguration ceremony, HE First Vice President of the Qatar Olympic Committee and President of the Qatar, Arab, Asian and Afro-Asian Weightlifting Federations, Mohammed bin Yousef Al Mana, underscored the importance of continental contests in supporting the pathway toward developing this sport.He stated that weightlifting grants young people and emerging generations a significant opportunity to internalize expertise and get familiarized with a variety of levels, as age-group championships lay the groundwork for advancing future champions.Staging both continental and global tournaments is a consequential element in enhancing the sport's structure, Al Mana underlined, stating that this would offer athletes the space to compete at the uppermost echelons. Al Mana further indicated that youth and junior championships constitute an important milestone on the federation's agenda as it assembles a contingent of emerging talents in Asia.He suggested that this offers them the opportunity to contend and acquire international expertise as part of the federation's efforts to have a rock-solid base of champions who are capable of continuing the path of Asian weightlifting in the coming years.In a related context, Al Mana chaired the meeting of the Asian Weightlifting Federation's (AWF) executive office, convened at the Uzbek Ministry of Sports on the sidelines of this tournament, with several members of the executive office and leaders of the sports movement in Uzbekistan in attendance.The attendees included Uzbek Minister of Sport Adkham Ikramov and Secretary-General of the Uzbek National Olympic Committee Oybek Kasimov.The office discussed an array of issues related to the AWF's future and the agenda of its competitions throughout the upcoming phase, alongside preparations for the 2027 Asian Weightlifting Championships, poised to be held in the Republic of Korea.The 2027 tournament carries additional significance as it will be part of the qualification pathway for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, giving the continental championship added significance for weightlifters hoping to secure spots at the next Olympics.On the margins of this meeting, Ikramov accorded HE Al Mana the Ministry's honorary award under the name of excellence in physical culture and sports, in recognition of his role in serving and advancing the sport of weightlifting and contributing to upgrading and expanding the sport in Asia.