Sports Nation: Maldives U21 Crowned Champions

Sports

The Maldives U21 National Team were crowned champions of the Milo Sports Nation U21 Basketball Championship 2026 after defeating JOES 93-76 in an entertaining final.

Having finished the league stage as table leaders, Maldives U21 completed a perfect tournament by once again overcoming JOES, whom they had also beaten during the league round.

JOES made the brighter start to the final, edging the opening quarter 21-18. However, Maldives U21 responded strongly in the second quarter, taking control of the game to lead 48-36 at halftime.

The national team continued their dominance after the break, extending their advantage to 77-59 by the end of the third quarter before closing out the contest with a convincing 93-76 victory to lift the championship trophy.

Aik Wajeeh (No. 30) delivered another outstanding performance in the final and was deservedly named Player of the Final.

Meanwhile, Naaf (No. 45) of Maldives U21 was honoured as the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP) after an exceptional campaign.

The Best Five of the tournament featured three JOES players and two Maldives U21 stars:

1. Chamndu (No. 2, JOES)
2. Adrian (No. 24, JOES)
3. Aik Wajeeh (No. 30, Maldives U21)
4. Nabeeh (No. 59, Maldives U21)
5. Aaron (No. 4, JOES)