Azerbaijan's U-16 women's basketball team prepares for European Championship

Azerbaijan's U-16 women's basketball team is set to start their campaign in the FIBA U-16 Women's European Championship Division B.

Idman.Biz reports that the final squad for the tournament has been announced.

The team, led by head coach Ferhat Akca, will consist of 12 players:

Zibeyda Aliyeva, Aylin Akbarzade, Zeynep Zeytingoz, Nazrin Almazova, Milana Kitayeva, Gunel Mammadli, Naiba Emrullazade, Galina Kushina, Aylin Niftaliyeva, Hayfa Bazzi, Viktoriya Ulyanova, and Jasmine Agamaliyeva.

Assistant coaches Evren Alkaya and Esra Adir Huseynova will assist Ferhat Akca. Murat Selman Cholak will serve as the physical preparation coach, while Ayla Balakishiyeva will be the team's masseuse.

Azerbaijan will compete in Group B of the tournament, which will be held in Piestany, Slovakia. The team will face Slovakia and Sweden in the group stage. According to the FIBA format, the B division will be held in three different countries in 2026, and the winner of each tournament will be promoted to the A division for the next season.

The team will play their first game against Slovakia today at 21:00. The match will take place at the Diplomat Arena in Piestany.

Azerbaijan's U-16 team has been on the rise in European basketball in recent years. In 2024, the team won the C division championship, defeating Cyprus 69-52 in the final and earning promotion to the B division. Angelina Ismailova was named MVP of the tournament, averaging 23 points per game.

Last year, Azerbaijan made its debut in the B division, finishing 19th out of 19 teams. However, the team managed to defeat Ireland 64-62 in the tournament. Polina Shukina averaged 19.2 points per game, making her one of the top scorers in the tournament, while Aylin Akbarzade averaged 3.8 assists per game, making her one of the team's leaders.

This time, the squad includes players who competed in the B division last season, such as Aylin Akbarzade, Aylin Niftaliyeva, Gunel Mammadli, Zeynep Zeytingoz, and Galina Kushina. This means that the team will have some international experience going into the tournament.