ULAANBAATAR (Mongolia) - Teams hungry for success will be representing the Gulf Region as Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are all set to compete in the highly anticipated FIBA U16 Asia Cup 2025 that opens next week.
Both nations punched their tickets to the Mongolian capital after coming out as the top two squads in the FIBA U16 Asia Cup 2025 GBA Qualifiers last July 7-12 at the Zain Sports Arena in Umm Al Hassam, Manama.
The Bahrainis won it all following a four-game sweep, with the Saudis finishing second with a 3-1 record.
Dominant were the hosts in the conquest. They won by an average margin of 36.5 points, including an 83-50 rout of UAE in the penultimate day of the tourney to complete the sweep - and formalize their qualification.
Bannering their campaign were the highly touted tandem of Somto Patrick Onoduenyi and Hassan Abdulkadir, who both finished with double-double averages as they proved to be matchup problems for the opposition.
Somto tallied 12.5 and 10.5 rebounds while Abdulkadir registered 13.0 and 17.5 boards, highlighted an 18-point, 22-rebound performance in their 82-62 victory over Saudi Arabia in their penultimate game of the meet.
Also coming through with commendable showings for Team Bahrain were Ali Husain Mohamed and Mohamed Adel Abdulla and it's likely that this quartet would lead the way in the August 31-September 7 showpiece.
This present batch sent the program to its third straight U16 Asia Cup appearance and is hoping to carry over its GBA Qualifiers success to Ulaanbaatar, looking to accomplish what their predecessors struggled to do.
Bahrain are bound for their sixth stint overall but have yet to reach the Semi-Finals, with their previous two ending up in disappointment as they only finished 13th and 15th in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
It's practically the same story for Saudi, who finished at 14th in the 16-team field of the 2023 competitions.
They're set for their fourth trip all in all but just like the Bahrainis, they've yet to set foot into the final four. The farthest that both teams have gone are the Quarter-Finals, ultimately settling for eighth-place finishes.
Saudi Arabia did it first in 2011, and then Bahrain in the following edition two years later.
Of the two, though, Saudi struggled more in getting opportunities to find redemption. After 2011, they'd miss the next four contests, and only found their way back after 12 long years in the event held in Doha, Qatar.
Now they're about to figure in their second U16 Asia Cup in a row, which for some is already a feat per se although this program would surely want nothing else but to improve from their past showings.
Bahrain are situated in Group A along with defending three-time champions Australia, Lebanon, and India. Saudi, meanwhile, are in Group D together with Iran, Japan, and Kazakhstan. To know more, click here.
FIBA