DUBAI: Following the trophy reveal for the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 on May 12, the second ever edition of the continent’s premier international basketball competition to take place in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia edges ever closer.

It is now less than two months until the 16-team tournament kicks off in Jeddah and the trophy is on a tour of the region as the build up to the tip-off in August ramps up.

“The trophy tour (started) in May (in Shenzhen, China),” said Hagop Khajirian, FIBA executive director for Asia. “It will include Lebanon, Iraq, Tehran, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates before reaching Saudi Arabia, where the trophy will be put on display in several cities, such as Riyadh and NEOM.”

The awarding of the tournament to Saudi Arabia, as with that of the FIBA Women’s Asian Cup 2025 taking place in China this July, was subject to a meticulous selection process.

“A unified system is applied across all continents, including Asia, for hosting continental championships,” Khajirian said. “Four tournaments are held every four years and are awarded through a bidding process led by local federations. To be eligible, countries must meet specific criteria, one of the most important being the availability of a stadium with a minimum capacity of 7,500 spectators, though larger venues are preferred to accommodate greater attendances.

“Hosting privileges are typically granted to countries with prior experience in organizing such events, making it difficult for nations that haven’t hosted any continental championship to secure the rights to the premier men’s tournament,” he added. “All of these factors are carefully considered, and the final decision on the host country rests with the respective continental federation. In Asia, that authority lies with FIBA Asia, just as FIBA Europe, FIBA Africa, and FIBA Americas oversee their respective continental championships.”

Khajirian stressed that while infrastructure, including stadium capacity, is a vital factor in the process, it is only one of several used to determine a suitable host.

“This isn’t the only or the main condition,” he said. “There are other factors to consider, including the local federation’s ability to organize a tournament of this scale in terms of size or level.

There is also the readiness of the country to support the federation in organizing the tournament, as well as the level of the host team, meaning it should be among the teams capable of competing until the advanced stages of the tournament.

With the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 set to take place from Aug. 5-17, the preparations in Jeddah are now entering their final stages.

“Meetings are ongoing,” said Khajirian. “Over the past month and a half, we’ve held three meetings in Jeddah with sports officials and the federation. There’s also an organizing committee for the tournament, headed by the president (of Saudi Basketball Federation) Dr. Ghassan Tashkandi. Among the tasks completed so far was the draw, which offered a glimpse of what’s to come, whether in terms of branding or attendance. It was a huge event, featuring the participation of MBC, along with specially prepared Arabic and English rap songs for the occasion.”
Khajirian believes that the branding of Asia’s premier basketball competition should be unique.

“We firmly believe that basketball should not be compared to any other sport, including football, because football exists in a completely different realm in terms of resources, fan engagement, corporate sponsorship, and financial investment,” he said. “There is no comparison. Instead of being held back by this complex, we think positively about how we can elevate basketball within our own domain. This is the stage we’re at now.

“Year after year, we’ve been able to improve our performance, the teams’ performances, and the overall execution of our tournaments, including the draw, as we mentioned earlier,” he added. “This is the first time we’ve organized a continental draw at this level. As for attracting sponsors, for Asian basketball tournaments, we already have major corporations in Asia, particularly in East Asia, that support basketball events not just regionally but globally.”

Khajirian said there are several Asia-based companies with long-term branding agreements spanning between 12 to 16 years with FIBA. These sponsorship for men’s tournaments were not limited to the finals, but the qualifiers as well.

Two years ago, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, told The Atlantic that although football is more popular in the Kingdom, basketball was his sport of choice. In the interview, he revealed that he is not a fan of working out in the gym and would rather take part in a dynamic sport like basketball. Khajirian believes with such backing from the top, the tournament in Jeddah could serve as a catalyst for promoting the game at grass roots level and potentially lead to a professional basketball league in the Gulf.

“Absolutely, the crown prince’s love for basketball gives us hope, it shows that the focus isn’t solely on football, and that other sports can also receive the financial backing and institutional support they need. It’s encouraging to know that influential figures like the crown prince and even President Obama appreciate the sport we’re passionate about. Their support inspires us and reminds us that, despite the challenges, help is possible if we do our part and work properly. That’s exactly what happened with this tournament.”

The involvement of six Arab nations is encouraging for the region but Khajirian believes tougher challenges need to be negotiated.

“Arab teams need a range of reforms, starting with administration, player development, and increasing public interest in the game,” he said. “The most important factor in developing any sport is setting the bar high. Unfortunately, we’ve been limiting ourselves to local or regional tournaments. The same applies in football. In the Gulf, we often treat the Arabian Gulf Cup as a kind of ‘world championship’ for the region. And that’s fine, but it should feel like a world-class event for our athletes. But we must go beyond that mindset. It may seem like a long shot, but it’s not impossible. We must aim higher if we want to compete seriously in tournaments like FIBA Asia, whether it’s the first edition or the fiftieth, that should be our ultimate goal.

“We’re currently working with the Arab Basketball Confederation to unify our programs.”

The draw for the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 placed the hosts Saudi in Group C with China Jordan and India. A tough Group A also includes two Arab nations, with Lebanon and Qatar joined by highly-rated Australia and South Korea. Syria landed in Group B with Guam Japan and Iran, while Iraq are in Group D with Chinese Taipei, New Zealand and Philippines.
For the six Arab nations, this represents a step up in competition in most cases.

“Global competition is somewhat challenging even for Asian teams, to be realistic,” Khajirian said. “There’s the European level, then the African and Asian levels. We have the Australian team, which could potentially compete at the European level. We can say that Asian basketball is on par with African basketball, with Asia being slightly better. However, both remain far below the European standard. Among Asian teams, Arab national teams rank below average, with the exception of Lebanon’s teams in recent years. The Lebanese national team has delivered good results over an extended period, followed by the Jordanian national team. We’re talking about results from the past 15 years.

“We need to make significant efforts over the next five to 10 years to become permanently competitive with Asian teams like China, Japan, and Australia.”

Khajirian says that the region’s basketball fans can expect plenty of innovative engagements and activations before and during the tournament.

“The Saudi Federation has prepared many surprises for audience interaction with the event and the sport,” he said. “In all aspects, we have several options and need to select one. We have internal and external promotion plans. Among the Asia Cup promotions, there’s a trophy tour in several Asian countries, including ambassador visits. They’re supposed to conduct tours to highlight the tournament and they’ll also shine a light on the women’s tournament.

“We’re coordinating with players so that competition winners might receive, for example, the jersey of a specific Japanese player,” Khajirian added. “So there are promotions for the tournament. There’s expected to be a strong audience turnout, which is considered a measure of the tournament’s success. The success of the tournament isn’t just measured by results but by attendance, the performance of the Saudi team, and the organizational execution of the tournament, all of which should present the best image of Saudi Arabia today.”

August’s tournament in Jeddah is not the only major continental event taking place this summer, with 2025 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup being held in Shenzhen from July 13-20. Khajirian stressed the importance of supporting female basketball players just as much as their male counterparts at all levels.

“All of the groups affiliated with FIBA, including continental federations, should have centers dedicated to developing basketball and women’s basketball in their countries,” he said. “This is not limited to the technical aspect related to playing, but also includes aspects related to managing championships. All federations should be moving towards gender equality, even in the committees that sponsor basketball, men and women’s basketball alike. All these committees should have equal representation for men and women.

“When it comes to managing games, we, FIBA Asia, were proactive in terms of adopting regulations and pillars,” Kahjirian added. “I remember that back in 2012 FIBA Asia was the first continental federation to have two female referees in each of the men’s basketball semi-final games. Three years ago, during the women’s championship, there were three female referees, five females among the table officials and all three statisticians were females. When it comes to FIBA Asia, up until seven or eight months ago, more than 50 percent of the employees were females.”

Khajirian has been hugely impressed, and surprised, by the development of women’s basketball in the Kingdom.

“I was truly amazed by what I saw in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “I visited the Kingdom nearly two years ago, we were discussing FIBA Asia with the president of the Saudi Basketball Federation, Dr. Ghassan Tashkandi. As we were heading from the federation’s center to another meeting, he said that, since we still have some time, let’s go by a basketball court. A women’s basketball festival was taking place, a match between two Saudi teams, coached by Greek trainers, and attended by a live audience.

“I was genuinely amazed. I started asking questions because, until then, it felt like this kind of information wasn’t being shared widely,” he said. “We hadn’t even been asking whether women’s basketball activities existed in Saudi Arabia. Fast forward to today, Saudi Arabia is the most active Arab country when it comes to basketball, and it’s backed by figures.

“The local tournaments and the number of registered female basketball players are all clear indicators. I was amazed. In recent years, Lebanon has made efforts to catch up, especially in the U14 and U16 male and female categories, but Saudi Arabia is clearly leading the way in this field.

“It’s genuinely impressive,” he concluded. “Saudi Arabia is on the right path, and other Gulf countries should take note and follow its example. While there may not yet be strong external competitiveness, it’s not far-fetched to imagine a Saudi women’s team reaching the finals of FIBA Asia in the near future.”