DUBAI: The Dubai Basketball U-18 Elite team emerged winners of the Basket Cup Sarajevo 2026 in their debut appearance at the tournament, which took place from April 3-5.
Representing the city of Dubai, the team delivered a statement performance against some of the continent’s top young talent.
As the only team from outside Europe in the competition, Dubai Basketball U-18 Elte entered the tournament determined to display the emirate’s growing presence on the global basketball stage.
Head coach Irhad Tinjak praised his team’s effort and spirit: “After four days of competition, we are proud to be crowned the 2026 Basket Cup Sarajevo champions. This victory means a lot to everyone at Dubai Basketball, and we are honoured to represent both the club and the UAE. In difficult moments, we stayed together and played for Dubai.”
Dubai Basketball set the tone early in the group stage with commanding victories, including a 133-22 win over KK Graficar Ludberg U-18, a 109-23 triumph against Ilirija Ljubljana U-18, and a 40-73 result over Scuola Basket Miky Mian U-18. Their momentum carried into the knockout rounds, where they beat Maribor Mladi U-18 103-53 before overpowering Murska Sobota U-18 75-26 in the semi-finals.
In the final, Dubai Basketball faced Ras Beograd U-18, securing a convincing 69-53 victory to lift the trophy. Montenegro’s Luka Malovic, who delivered a personal tournament-high of 21 points in the final, led the team with composure and confidence on the biggest stage.
