ULAANBAATAR (Mongolia) - It's going to be a week of basketball celebration ahead as the FIBA U16 Asia Cup 2025 finally raises its curtains this Sunday, with the Mongolian capital filled with much excitement.
The rising basketball country is hosting their second-ever FIBA youth event after 13 years and they're all set for a busy stretch ahead filled with lots of games beginning with the stacked three-day Group Phase.
Games will be held simultaneously during the said stage, with Australia opening their unprecedented 'four-peat' bid versus Bahrain in Group A action at the Buyant Ukhaa Sport Complex at 11:30 local time.
The Crocs are looking to become the first team to win the title that many times, which if they do would also make them the most successful team in the tourney as it would break a tie with China for the most golds.
A meeting between West Asia and Gulf teams will be played at the same time over at the MBank Arena - the site of previous FIBA meets in recent years as Iran and Saudi Arabia lock horns to start Group D play.
The other groups will see action later in the day, with 2023 runners-up New Zealand starting their trek back to the Big Dance with a clash against the comebacking Indonesia to open the Group B games at 16:30.
Group C, on the other hand, will start theirs at 16:30 as well, featuring a duel between 2015 champions Korea - the last team to rule the tournament before the Aussies' dominion - and Malaysia at the MBank Arena.
The Group Phase will run from August 31-September 2 and every point matters for all of the competing sides, with the top teams of each pool clinching an outright entry into the Quarter-Finals set on September 5.
Those finishing as the second and third-ranked teams will have to vie for the four other tickets through the Qualification to Quarter-Finals on September 4 as the road to the Final definitely won't be easy.
Winners of the Quarter-Finals are, of course, headed to the Semi-Finals scheduled on September 6, but, more importantly, will also qualify to the prestigious FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup in Istanbul, Turkey next year.
The Final and the Third-Place Game is on September 7. Classification games will also be played in the tournament's last two playdates at the MBank Arena (formerly the UG Arena) - the venue for the entire Final Phase.
For the complete schedule, click here.
FIBA