DOHA : Qatar have been drawn alongside China, Iran and Sri Lanka in Group C of the FIBA Under-18 Asia Cup, setting up a challenging campaign at the tournament in Ahmedabad, India, from Aug. 13-23.
Qatar will open their campaign against Iran on Aug. 14 before taking on China on Aug. 16 and concluding the group stage against Sri Lanka on Aug. 18.
The Gulf nation qualified for the continental tournament after finishing runners-up at the Gulf Basketball Under-18 Championship qualifiers in Doha.
Qatar claimed the silver medal with seven points to secure one of the qualifying berths, finishing behind unbeaten Bahrain, who topped the standings with eight points.
The 16 participating teams were drawn into four groups.
Group A consists of Australia, Chinese Taipei, the Philippines and Thailand, while Group B features New Zealand, Lebanon, Bahrain and Syria.
Group D includes South Korea, Japan, hosts India and Kazakhstan.
The tournament also serves as a qualifier for the 2027 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup in the Czech Republic, with the top four teams earning places at the global event.
Qatar will look to build on the progress shown during the Gulf qualifiers with a squad coached by Turkey’s Cengiz Karadag, who guided the team to qualification and is preparing the side for the challenge of facing some of Asia’s strongest youth teams.
The Qatar squad comprises Abdullah Yassin, Tamim Ashraf Abuissa, Mishaal Khalid Al Mughni, Muadh Omar Musa, Azzam Mohammed Yeken, Ziyad Tamer Al Johari, Mohammed Saeed Badri, Mahmoud Tamer Ibrahim, Amer Ibrahim Musa, Owen Ekina, Youssef Waleed Abdulqader and Shahi Mohammed.
