Saudi Arabia will serve as the mecca of Asian basketball two years from now.
In an announcement Thursday, the Saudi Basketball Federation (SBF) has been awarded the hosting rights for the prestigious FIBA Asia Cup 2025.
The continental conclave is returning to KSA for the first time in nearly three decades, or since the 1997 edition in Riyadh that saw Korea beat Japan in the Final, 78-76, to strike gold.
Games for the 2025 edition will be played in Jeddah, with the venue to be announced at a later date.
“Today marks a pivotal moment as we entrust Saudi Arabia with the honor of hosting the upcoming FIBA Asia Cup in 2025,” said Hagop Khajirian, Executive Director of FIBA Regional Office-Asia.
“The build-up will be an exciting couple of years for basketball in Saudi Arabia, especially considering the development in the country over the past years,” added the amiable exec.
The previous FIBA Asia Cup was held in Indonesia in 2022, which saw Australia go back-to-back following a hard-earned 75-73 win over Lebanon in the Final at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta.
The road to Asia Cup 2025 will begin with the Qualifiers tipping off in February of next year.
Similar to the last ACQ, the 24 teams will be divided into six groups of four. Each team plays the other three teams on a home-and-away basis over three windows, with two games per window.
The top teo teams from each group will qualify for the FIBA Asia Cup 2025, making a total of 12 teams.
The six third-place teams from each group, meanwhile, qualify to play in a final qualifying tournament. The top 4 teams from this tilt will then reach the quadrennial continental conclave.
