Team Qatar U18 Set for Saudi Arabia Showdown in FIBA Asia Cup Gulf Qualifiers Opener

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July 25, 2026
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25-July-2026

Team Qatar U18 Set for Saudi Arabia Showdown in FIBA Asia Cup Gulf Qualifiers Opener

DOHA – Qatar's national under-18 basketball team will launch their campaign in the Gulf Qualifiers for the FIBA U18 Asia Cup on Sunday when they face Saudi Arabia at Al Gharafa Club Indoor Arena in Doha.

The hosts will be aiming to secure an opening victory that would provide an early boost in their pursuit of one of three coveted qualification spots for the continental championship, which will be held in Ahmedabad, India, this August.

Hosted by the Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF), the Gulf qualifying tournament runs from July 25 to 30 and features five participating nations: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and the Sultanate of Oman.

The competition is being played in a single round-robin format, with each team contesting four matches. The top three teams in the final standings will qualify for the FIBA U18 Asia Cup, making every fixture crucial from the opening day in what is expected to be a highly competitive tournament.

Qatar enter the qualifiers following an intensive preparation program designed to maximize the squad's technical, tactical, and physical readiness. As part of their build-up, the team completed an overseas training camp in Yalova, Türkiye, where they played a series of friendly matches that enabled Turkish head coach Cengiz Karadag to assess player performances and finalize his squad ahead of the competition.

The national team is built around a talented generation regarded as the future of Qatari basketball. The final 12-player roster is captained by Abdullah Yassin and includes Tameem Ashraf Abouissa, Meshaal Khaled Al Mughni, Moaz Omar Moussa, Azzam Mohammed Yakan, Ziyad Tamer Al Gohary, Mohammed Saeed Badri, Mahmoud Tamer Ibrahim, Amer Ibrahim Moussa, Owen Ikina, Youssef Walid Abdelqader, and Shahi Mohammed.