BASKETBALL – BAHRAIN’S men’s and women’s 3x3 basketball national teams were drawn in a pair of tough qualifying groups yesterday for their respective competitions in the Fiba 3x3 Asia Cup 2026.
The tournament is scheduled for April 1 to 5 in Singapore, with the Bahrainis amongst 24 men’s squads and 22 women’s outfits.
The kingdom’s men will be one of 16 national teams who will be competing in the qualification stage, where they have been placed in Draw D along with Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, and India. Draw A features the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, and the Maldives; Draw B is composed of Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, and Macau; and Draw C includes Iran, Tonga, South Korea, and Vietnam.
Only the winners from each qualifying draw will punch their tickets to the tournament proper, where there are already eight nations confirmed. Mongolia and Chinese Taipei are in Pool A, China and defending back-to-back champions Australia are in Pool B, Japan and Singapore are in Pool C, and New Zealand and Qatar are in Pool D.
The Bahraini men will play all three of their qualifying games on April 1, when they first lock horns with Hong Kong. They then take on Kazakhstan and then battle India in their concluding fixture.
Bahrain’s men enter the Fiba 3x3 Asia Cup 2026 as champions of the Gulf Basketball Association (GBA) 3x3 Championships, held in Muscat, Oman, in November of last year. While the team that will compete in Singapore has yet to be announced, the roster that secured the GBA crown featured Mohammed Kowayed, Milos Supica, Bogdan Dragovic, and Hassan Fahad.
Meanwhile, Bahrain’s women’s squad are one of 14 national teams in their qualification competition.
They are in Draw C along with Chinese Taipei, Saudi, and Hong Kong. Draw A features Kazakhstan, Vietnam, and South Korea; Draw B is composed of Malaysia, Turkmenistan, and India; and Draw D consists of Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Macau, and Maldives.
Just like the men, each of the winners from the four qualifying draws move forward to the women’s tournament proper, where awaiting them are China and Thailand in Pool A, Mongolia and New Zealand in Pool B, Japan and Singapore in Pool C, and three-time defending champions Australia and the Philippines are in Pool D.
Bahrain’s women also play all their qualifiers on April 1. They open their campaign against Chinese Taipei, before facing Hong Kong and Saudi in their remaining assignments.
The Bahraini women were silver-medallists at the GBA 3x3 Championships in the Omani capital. They were represented then by the quartet of Bayan Salman, Aya Kamali, Hessa Al Jaber, and Meryan Sameer.
The Fiba 3x3 Asia Cup 2026 marks its ninth edition and the fifth consecutive year that it is to be held. It will be staged at Singapore Sports Hub, the country’s premier destination for world-class sports, entertainment, lifestyle, and community events.
Bahrain have competed in the Fiba 3x3 Asia Cup only once in the past with its men’s team in the 2017 tournament, held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The Bahraini women will be making their continental debut in Singapore.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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