DOHA: Eight schools advanced to the quarter-finals of the 2025–2026 Mini World Cup Basketball Championship after winning their second-round matches on Thursday at the Qatar Basketball Federation courts.
The schools that qualified are the Lebanese School, Al Andalus Private School, the Philippine International School, Al Kawn International Academy (Muaither Branch), the Modern Indian School (DPS), Edison Global Academy (Lusail), James American Academy – Qatar, and the French School Bonaparte – Doha.
The quarter-finals will be played on Feb. 4, followed by the semi-finals on Feb. 11 and the third-place match on Feb. 12. The tournament will conclude with the final on April 30 at Aspire Academy, coinciding with the end of the School Olympic Program season.
Based on their final standings, each school will have the opportunity to select a jersey representing one of the national teams qualified for the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qatar 2027, to be worn during the second season of the mini-tournament.
The competition is being held for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa region and is organised under the supervision of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), in cooperation with the Qatar Basketball Federation and the Qatar School Sports Federation. The tournament follows an innovative format inspired by the atmosphere of the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup Qatar 2027, combining high-level sporting competition with an educational experience.
The Mini Basketball World Cup forms part of the School Olympic Program for the 2025–2026 and 2026–2027 seasons. In the inaugural edition, schools are competing under their official names, while the second edition in 2027 will see participants wearing the jerseys of national teams that have qualified for the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qatar 2027, in a symbolic link to the global event.
A total of 32 secondary schools from across Qatar are taking part in the tournament. These include American Academy School, Alpha Cambridge School, Al Khor International School (British Section), Al Khor International School (Indian Curriculum), Religious Preparatory Secondary Institute for Boys, Al Andalus Private School, Beverly Hills International School, Beta Cambridge School, Belgravia High School, Modern Indian School (DPS), Edison Global Academy (Lusail), GEMS American Academy – Qatar, Al Kawn International Academy (Al Waab and Muaither branches), Harvard American School, Hassan Bin Thabit Independent Secondary School for Boys, Ibn Taymiyyah Independent Secondary School for Boys, the Jordanian School, French School Bonaparte – Doha, Loyola International School, the Lebanese School, Indian Islamic School (Abu Hamour Branch), Monarch International School (DPS), Newton International Academy, Philippine International School – Qatar, Pearl Podar School, Qatar Finnish International School, Rajagiri Public School, Stanford Sri Lankan School Doha, Cambridge School, Next Generation Private School – Al Wakra, and Birla Public School.
