DOHA (Qatar) - There will be 16 teams competing for the title at the 7th edition of the FIBA U16 Asian Championship 2023.

There's a little mix of everything from defending champions, former champions, teams aspiring to be champions for the first time, teams looking to make some noise, and even a debutant set to make an appearance in Doha from 17-24 September.

Here's a quick look at the teams that will be competing for the U16 Asian Championship crown!

Past champions: Australia, China, Korea

China are still the all-time leader in U16 titles won, sweeping through the first three editions of the competition undefeated for three straight titles. Led by now well-known stars from Guo Ailun to Zhou Qi to Hu Jinqiu, there was little that the rest of the teams could do.

However, this year marks a decade of draught for the Asian powerhouse.

China's streak of wins came to a close in 2015, eventually making way for Korea to win the title for the first time. It was a historic achievement for Korea, buoyed by a historic run from rising youngsters like Yang Jae Min and Lee Hyunjung.

From there, it has been Australia's turn to dominate the competition. The Crocs made their debut in 2018, went on to win the title and have still not lost a game since. That shouldn't come as a surprise, considering these teams have featured players like eventual NBA Draft Pick Luke Travers and highly-rated prospect Rocco Zikarsky.

Hopeful for another shot: Philippines, Japan

Only three teams have played in all editions of the U16 Asian Championships. They have all made it to the Final, but only Korea have been able to make it over the hump to hoist the trophy when all was said and done.

The Philippines lost to China in the Final of the 2013 edition of the competition. Meanwhile, Japan suffered a tough loss only recently last year to Australia even when they were led by eventual MVP Yuta Kawashima.

Both are always among the contending teams of each edition of the competition and should be expected to contend for the title once again in Doha.

They already know what it takes to get to that final stage. All they need now is to win on that final stage.

Previous semi-finalists: New Zealand, Lebanon, Iran

This trio of teams have yet to make a Final appearance in the competition yet, but they've come as close as a team can get - the Semi-Finals.

New Zealand, in particular, have made it to the Semi-Finals on both of their first-ever appearances of the U16 Asian Championship, finishing at Third-Place as well. They featured some interesting talents like the towering tandem of Nic Book and Julius Halaifonua who averaged a double-double and nearly averaged a double-double, respectively.

Lebanon were also among the Semi-Finalists in the recent edition of the competition, making it the first time ever that the team had made it that far.

It's been a while since Iran have made a run that deep in the competition, way back in the inaugural 2009 edition to be exact. Still, you can expect them to always have to potential to make it back and maybe even further with their talent.

This is also a kind reminder that the top four teams at this upcoming U16 Asian Championship earn tickets to the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup next year in Turkiye from 29 June 29 to 7 July. Lebanon claimed their first-ever appearance in the global youth competition last year. Will we see another debutant make it to the Semi-FInals and the U17 World Cup for the first time this year?

Dark horses: India, Qatar

We all love a good underdog story and there might be some brewing in the works for this upcoming edition of the competition in Doha.

Starting with the obvious, most of the attention outside of the usual suspects will be on India. The South Asian side made quite an impression in 2022 with historic wins over Korea and Iran to earn themselves a 5th-place finish - their best-ever final standing. They obviously won't have their core four that carried them to that historic run, but they are expected to be returning Lavish - who played 12.8 minutes per game for that squad -  as a captain.

India aren't the only team that is expecting to return some players. Hosts Qatar are not only banking on homecourt advantage but also experience with two players who played in 2022, in particular Mohamed Massamba Ndao who led the team in scoring and EFF.

Back for more: Bahrain, Kazakhstan

Bahrain and Kazakhstan didn't make it too far in 2022, but they are back here once again. Both national team programs have been developing a steady pipeline of talents and maybe we can get an early glimpse of that in Qatar.

It's been a while: Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia

Malaysia were regulars in the U16 Asian Championship, playing in all editions - until they missed it in 2022. However, they've been able to make it back with a strong performance to qualify from the SEABA Qualifiers.

Saudi Arabia have not played in over 10 years with their last appearance being in 2011 and 2009 back with Ali Shubayli and Nassir Abo Jalas, respectively, were playing for each of those teams. The senior national team is enjoying a relatively successful run and now the junior national team is back in the mix.

Jordan have also not played in a decade, with their last appearance in 2013, but here they are once again. Remember that Jordan's squad in 2009 featured current national team players in Malek Kanaan and star center Ahmad Al Dwairi - so maybe keep a close eye on this one.

In any case, welcome back to the U16 Asian Championship.

Debutant: Sri Lanka

We have a new contender in our midst for this one!

Sri Lanka will be making their first-ever appearance in the competition, which should bring a lot of excitement to their fans. Their might be some growing pains early on, but the more the merrier.

FIBA