FIBA World Cup Qualifiers 2027: Five Arab Teams Reach the Second Round

The FIBA World Cup qualifiers on the road to the 2027 edition in Qatar have entered a decisive stage following the conclusion of the first round in the Asian region. Notable for the Arab audience is that five Arab teams have secured their place in the second round — Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Syria alongside host Qatar — the strongest Arab presence in years. With the second round beginning in late August, attention turns to these teams on their path toward the World Cup. This recap runs through what the FIBA World Cup qualifiers have produced so far, and what awaits them in the coming stage.

Jordan Tops the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers

Jordan delivered the standout Arab performance of the first round, finishing its run unbeaten and topping its group. Its most notable result was a 73-60 win over Iran in Zouk Mikael, Lebanon — a result with which it seized top spot from a team considered one of the continent’s strongest, and which had not lost before that in the qualifiers.

Jordan is led by coach Roy Rana, who has kept an unblemished record in the qualifiers so far, relying on his rising star Jalen Harris and a group of young talents. The single loss the Jordanians feared never came, and the team finished the first round with high confidence. This performance placed Jordan in a strong position entering the second round, and cemented its standing as one of the most exciting Arab teams in this edition of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

The Arab Teams in the Second Round

Alongside Jordan, four other Arab teams secured their place in the second round of the Asian FIBA World Cup qualifiers:

• Qatar — the host, automatically qualified for the World Cup but still competing in the qualifiers, finished the first round in second place in its group behind Lebanon
• Lebanon — traditionally one of the region’s strongest teams, topped its group in the first round with a big 94-64 win over India
• Saudi Arabia — delivered a notable performance and booked its place on merit despite being the lowest-ranked among its group’s teams
• Syria — completed the passage to the second round within its group

This five-strong Arab presence in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers is among the most prominent in the region’s participation history, and reflects a development in the level of Arab teams on the Asian stage, especially with the World Cup being held on Arab soil for the first time.

The Asian FIBA World Cup Qualifiers Format

Sixteen Asian and Oceanian teams compete for seven World Cup places, in addition to Qatar, automatically qualified as host. The qualifiers are held across six windows, three of which have concluded in the first round with home-and-away meetings within four groups.

In the second round, the twelve qualified teams were split into two groups of six. Each group plays home-and-away against the teams coming from the other group, with the first-round results carried over into the final tally — which makes every prior game count in the equation and lets no result go to waste.

Group E: Australia, Iran, Jordan, New Zealand, the Philippines, Syria.

Group F: Lebanon, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, China, Saudi Arabia.

At the end of the second round, the top three teams from each group, plus the best fourth-placed team, alongside host Qatar, qualify — that is, seven Asian places plus the host. Australia was the only team to finish the first round unbeaten, on a full record of six wins.

What Awaits the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in August

The second round begins in late August with a first window carrying exciting fixtures for the Arab teams. Jordan, holding a win over Iran in its carried-over tally, enters Group E in a strong position against teams like Australia and New Zealand. The Iran–New Zealand meeting in particular is considered one of the group’s standout games, as the two met in the bronze-medal game at the 2025 Asia Cup, which Iran took 79-73.

In Group F, Lebanon, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia are drawn into the same group, meaning direct Arab meetings in addition to tough tests against Japan, China, and Korea. Qatar in particular enters with rising ambition after a notable first-round performance, but it carries a difficult historical record against China, having lost all six of their previous head-to-head meetings.

The remaining windows are scheduled for August 2026, November 2026, and February 2027, with the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 finals to be held in Qatar from August 27 to September 12, 2027. The same World Cup also shaped Europe’s summer transfer window.

Summary

The FIBA World Cup qualifiers on the road to the 2027 tournament in Qatar feature an exceptional Arab presence with five teams in the second round, led by an unbeaten Jordan at the top. With the second round beginning in late August and direct Arab meetings in Group F, the Arab audience’s attention turns to its teams’ path toward a World Cup held on Arab soil for the first time.