The Media Center (Riyadh)
The draw for the Asian Basketball Championship, held today, Tuesday, in the city of Jeddah, placed the Saudi national team at the top of Group C, which includes China, Jordan, and India. The remaining groups were as follows: Group A includes Australia, Lebanon, South Korea, and Qatar; Group B includes Japan, Iran, Syria, and Guam; while Group D includes New Zealand, the Philippines, Chinese Taipei, and Iraq. The tournament will take place in Jeddah at the beginning of next August.
The event was attended by FIBA Asia President Dr. K. Govindraj, FIBA Asia Executive Director Mr. Hagop Khajirian, and the President of the Saudi Basketball Federation Dr. Ghassan Tashkandi. The draw was conducted by former Saudi national team captain Ali Al-Maghrabi, former Jordan national team captain Sam Douglas, and Saudi national team player Dar Bali.
The draw ceremony began with the national anthem, followed by a video presentation highlighting the achievements of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee and providing an overview of the Asian Championship. Dr. Ghassan Tashkandi then delivered a speech welcoming everyone to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to attend the draw ceremony for the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup.
He noted that hosting this prestigious event for the second time is a proud moment for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as it continues its journey to elevate basketball across the nation and throughout the Asian continent. “Today, we are not only celebrating the spirit of competition, but also unity, friendship, and the growing passion for the game we all love,” he said.
He extended his deepest thanks and gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and to His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, for their continued support of sports and youth in the Kingdom. He also expressed his appreciation to His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Minister of Sports, for his leadership and ongoing commitment to developing basketball and all sports in Saudi Arabia.
He also thanked the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and all the countries participating in the championship.
The official anthem of the championship was then presented by artists Ghada Shari, Qusai, and Moziin, followed by a speech from Mr. Hagop Khajirian, Executive Director of FIBA Asia, in which he spoke about the tournament.
He expressed his appreciation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting the Asian Championship and welcomed everyone to the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup draw ceremony, which includes participation from the best 16 teams across Asia and Oceania. He described this as an achievement for all 16 teams and pointed out that the quality of competition in the FIBA Asia Cup has evolved significantly in recent editions.
It is worth noting that, according to the tournament system, the top-ranked team in each group will directly qualify for the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, the second- and third-placed teams will compete in knockout matches to determine the remaining four spots in the same round.
