The largest city in the country’s Niagara Region will stage next year’s edition of the biennial event at the Meridian Centre and Brock University, where action is scheduled to take place from June 11 to 17.

The seven-day tournament sees the leading eight teams from the FIBA Americas zone vying for a top-three finish to qualify for the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup.

The teams participating in the FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship will be confirmed following the conclusion of this year’s Under-17 Centrobasket Championship and South American Under-17 Championship, both of which will serve as qualifying tournaments.

The former is due to run from July 26 to 30 in the Dominican Republic’s capital Santo Domingo, while the latter is scheduled to be held from July 15 to 20 in a location yet to be determined.

Canada and the United States have already qualified for the FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship as North American representatives.

"The FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship is one of the most exciting basketball events in our region as it puts a spotlight on the future stars of our sport and serves as an important international platform in their development process," FIBA Americas President Usie Richards said.

"We are happy to announce Canada as the host of its 2018 edition.

"Their commitment is proof of the attention to detail the federation has put into the growth of youth basketball not only in their national team programme, but throughout the continent.

"We are more than confident that it will be a great and memorable event for the participants as well as for basketball fans everywhere."

Michele O’Keefe, President and chief executive of Canada Basketball, added: "We’re thrilled to be hosting the 2018 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship in St Catharines.

"Bringing this event to Canada and specifically the Niagara Region allows us to showcase our nation as a world-class destination for international basketball events and for Canadians to see our talented up-and-coming stars compete on home soil.

"The FIBA technical legacy for hosting this event for athletes, coaches and officials will be incredibly beneficial to our continued alignment and domestic development."

Valdivia in Chile hosted the most recent edition of the FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship in 2016, when the US beat Canada 99-84 in the gold medal game. 

The senior version of the event is held biennially in odd-numbered years.

Venezuela overcame Argentina 76-71 in the 2015 final in Mexico City.

This year’s edition is being co-hosted by Medellín in Colombia, Uruguay’s capital Montevideo and Argentinean cities Bahía Blanca and Córdoba.

Competition is due to take place from August 25 to September 3.