AHMEDABAD (India) - Australia successfully defended their FIBA U18 Asia Cup title after defeating China, 89-79, in a thrilling Final of the 2026 competitions at the Veer Savarkar Indoor Stadium on Sunday night.
The Emus unloaded a 7-0 run for the 69-62 lead late in the third quarter, and then pulled away come the fourth en route to completing the 'back-to-back,' in the process winning their third championship overall.
Jai Fa'ale led Australia with 19 points, spiked by a 4-of-10 clip from deep, as he sparked the aforementioned rally to put them ahead for good. Bailey Hanson supplied 17 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals.
Yahya Basaran finished with 13 points alongside 4 rebounds and 2 blocks, eventually taking home Most Valuable Player honors as he finished the event with averages of 16.2 points and 12.0 rebounds plus 3.0 blocks.
Harry Cook added 11 points and 9 rebounds for the Emus, who became the first team since, coincidentally, China to pull off a repeat in the U18 Asia Cup. China did so in 2012 when they won the second of a 'three-peat.'
Australia, furthermore, have remained unbeaten in 3 appearances thus far, as they improved to 18-0 following yet another mighty 6-game sweep.
Zhang Yizhaojie led China with a game-high 20 points and 5 rebounds in the loss. Li Junxian notched a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Zhang Yuchen added 13 points and 7 assists for the runners-up.
Basaran, Fa'ale, and Zhang formed part of the Tournament All-Star Five, which also featured Jackson Ball of New Zealand and Yoon Jihoon of Korea.
The Junior Tall Blacks took home the bronze medal by beating Korea in the Third-Place Game that preceded the championship, 102-97. Ball finished with 29 points, as he led the comeback from 7 points down.
By finishing as the 4 best teams of the 2026 U18 Asia Cup, Australia, China, New Zealand, and Korea have all qualified for the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2027 in Czechia from June 26 to July 4, 2027.
Japan secured 5th place while Chinese Taipei finished at 7th after beating Iran and the Philippines, respectively, in the Classification Round.
The Classification Round is crucial for the participating teams not only for their final rankings in this tournament, but also to determine the Sub-Zone Qualifiers berths in the next FIBA U18 Asia Cup two years from now.
FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2026 final standings:
1. Australia 2. China 3. New Zealand 4. Korea 5. Japan 6. Iran 7. Chinese Taipei 8. Philippines
FIBA