BASKETBALL – BAHRAIN’S women’s and men’s 3x3 basketball national teams will be taking to the half-court today in the Fiba 3x3 Asia Cup 2026 in Singapore.
Both sides are set to compete in their respective qualifying draws, where they will be playing three games apiece with the hopes of booking a spot in their tournament proper.
Flying the kingdom’s flag in the event are Bayan Salman, Shereen Abdulrahman, Noor Najaf, and Nouf Abdulla amongst the women; and Nasser Al Mosawi, Isa Jassim, Mohammed Ghazwan, and Salman Al Kaabi for the men.
The Bahrainis held a brief camp over the past few days leading up to the competition. They each played tune-up games against their counterparts from hosts Singapore.
Bahrain head coach Murtadha Mohammed confirmed that both squads are fully prepared for their upcoming bids against the continent’s best in the 3x3 game. “Since arriving in Singapore, we have been keen to start practising immediately, and there is a great commitment from the players,” Mohammed said.
There are 14 women’s national teams and 16 men’s squads in qualification. Each field has been divided into four pools, and only the winners of each will move on to play in the tournament proper.
The Bahraini women are in qualifying draw C along with Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, and Saudi Arabia. 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.
Already in the women’s main draw 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.
Meanwhile, Bahrain’s men are in qualifying draw D along with Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, and India. Qualifying 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.
Eight nations are already confirmed for the men’s main draw. 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.
Bahrain enter this year’s Fiba 3x3 Asia Cup amongst the leading squads from Fiba Asia’s Gulf Basketball Association (GBA).
The kingdom’s women were the silver-medallists at the GBA 3x3 Championships in Muscat, Oman, held in November of last year, while the men were their tournament’s champions – although both sides fielded different rosters then.
The Fiba 3x3 Asia Cup 2026 marks its ninth edition and the fifth consecutive year that it is being held. Games are to be played at Singapore Sports Hub, the country’s premier destination for world-class sports, entertainment, lifestyle, and community events.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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