Tokyo, August 30 (QNA) - Qatar's national basketball team will face Japan Monday at Toyota Arena Tokyo in the Japanese capital, in a challenging second-round game of the Asian qualifiers for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027.

The game is of significant importance to both teams in the context of Group F, which also features China, Lebanon, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia.

Qatar began their second-round campaign with an 83-57 defeat to China last Thursday in a game played at Al Janoub Sports Hall in Al Wakrah. Japan, meanwhile, made a strong start by defeating Saudi Arabia 106-78.

Qatar head coach Hakan Demir of Türkiye has named a 12-player roster for tomorrow's game: Mostafa Fouda, Mike Lewis, Mahmoud Darwish, Abdullah Mousa, Ndawi Al-Hajj Seidou, Abdullah Saad, Mohammed Hashem, Ousmane Dieng, Osama Arafa, Abdulrahman Yahya, Omar Saad, and Aladji Boubou Magassa.

The coaching staff hope that the work completed during the short preparation period will be reflected in their performance against Japan, particularly in terms of defensive concentration and reducing turnovers, while also improving their offensive efficiency and making better use of scoring opportunities.

The Tokyo encounter will be the latest chapter in a long history of meetings between the two national teams. According to FIBA records, the sides have met eight times previously, with Qatar winning five and Japan three.

The teams last met in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers on February 24, 2019, when Japan recorded a 96-48 victory. Qatar's most recent win over Japan came at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, when they edged their opponents 75-74.

Qatar will continue their second-round qualifying campaign by facing South Korea on November 26, before hosting Japan in Doha on November 29. They will then travel to China on February 26, 2027, and conclude their campaign against South Korea on March 1, 2027.

They are also preparing to compete in the basketball tournament at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games in Japan. The draw placed them in Group B alongside Iran, Jordan, and Chinese Taipei, making the tournament another important stage in their preparation ahead of Qatar's hosting of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 in Doha. (QNA)