Doha – 26 November 2025
Qatar’s senior men’s basketball team will officially open its campaign in the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian-Oceania Qualifiers on Thursday, 27 November 2025, when it hosts Lebanon in the first game of the opening qualification window.
The highly anticipated matchup is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. local time at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall in Doha.
The encounter carries significant weight as it marks the beginning of Qatar’s crucial journey toward securing a spot in the 2027 FIBA World Cup finals – an historic tournament that Qatar will host for the first time in the Middle East from 27 August to 12 September 2027, featuring 32 national teams from around the globe.
Qatar’s 14-man roster for the window includes:
• Osama Abdelnasser
• Abdulrahman Saad
• Mahmoud Darwish
• Mostafa Fouda
• Abdullah Yassin
• Mubarak Jama
• Aladji Bobo Magassa
• Ndiaye El Hadj Seydou
• Mohamed Bashir
• Mostafa Ndaw
• Babacar Dieng
• Babacar Diop
• Tyler Harris
• Ousmane Dieng
Qatar will then travel to Beirut for the return fixture against Lebanon on Sunday, 30 November 2025, at the Nouhad Nawfal Sports Complex in Zouk Mikael.
Both teams are placed in Group D alongside Saudi Arabia and India.
The Asian-Oceania qualifiers feature 16 teams divided into four groups:
• Group A: Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Guam
• Group B: Japan, China, Korea, Chinese Taipei
• Group C: Iran, Jordan, Syria, Iraq
• Group D: Qatar, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, India
The top three teams from each group will advance to the second round, where the 12 qualified teams will be split into two new groups of six. From each second-round group, the top three finishers will earn direct qualification to the 2027 FIBA World Cup, with the best fourth-placed team across both groups also securing a berth – giving the region a total of seven spots (plus host Qatar, who receives an automatic place).
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has scheduled the qualifiers across six windows extending until March 2027:
• 24 Nov – 2 Dec 2025
• 23 Feb – 3 Mar 2026
• 29 Jun – 7 Jul 2026
• 24 Aug – 1 Sep 2026
• 23 Nov – 1 Dec 2026
• 22 Feb – 2 Mar 2027
Thursday’s clash will therefore serve as the opening chapter in Qatar’s quest to reach its first-ever home World Cup.
