Doha, July 07 (QNA) - The Qatar basketball team will face Japan, China, and the Republic of Korea during the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers.

The tournament is staged for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region from Aug. 27 to Sept. 12, 2027.

The team had concluded the First Round of the Asian Qualifiers in second place in Group D with 10 points, behind group leaders Lebanon with 11 points, while Saudi Arabia finished third with 9 points, and India ranked fourth and last with 6 points.

According to the qualifying format, the teams advancing from Groups B and D were merged into another group, known as Group F, with Qatar settling in third place in Group F with 10 points, level on points with Japan, which finished second with the same tally.

Lebanon topped the group with 11 points, while the Republic of Korea, China, and Saudi Arabia finished fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively, with 9 points each.

Under the format of the Second Round of the Asian Qualifiers, each team in a group will face only the teams that joined it from the other group in a home-and-away format, with no new matchups against teams that advanced alongside it from the same group during the First Round.

Qatar will begin their campaign in the first window of the Second Round by facing China in Doha on Aug. 27 before traveling away to meet Japan on Aug. 30.

The second window will see Qatar host the Republic of Korea and Japan on Nov. 26 and 29, respectively, while the qualifiers will conclude with the third and final window in February and March next year, featuring a clash against China on Feb. 26 and a match against the Republic of Korea on March 1, 2027.

The Qatar Basketball Federation commended the outstanding campaign delivered by the national team during the First Round of the Asian Qualifiers and its deserved qualification to the Second Round.

It stressed that Qatar continue their qualification journey with the ambition of competing and securing the best possible results, despite having already guaranteed their place in the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qatar 2027 as the host nation.

The Federation emphasized that the team's participation in these qualifiers suggests Qatar basketball's ambitious vision, which aims to strengthen the culture of competition, enhance technical and physical readiness, and reach the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qatar 2027 with a level that reflects the significant development the sport has witnessed in recent years.

In addition, the Federation also applauded the high fighting spirit demonstrated by the team and their ability to achieve positive results against teams with extensive experience on both continental and global stages.

This reflects the important efforts made by Qatar's players and the coaching and administrative staff during the First Round of the Asian Qualifiers, which featured highly competitive and closely contested games among the participating teams. (QNA)