Doha: Under the patronage of HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee and Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qatar 2027, the official draw ceremony for the World Cup qualifiers was held today in Doha, marking the official launch of Qatar's journey to host this global event for the first time in the Middle East.
According to Qatar News Agency, the event was attended by several high-profile figures, including HE President of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Sheikh Saud bin Ali Al-Thani, Mohammed bin Saad Al Mughaiseeb, who serves as President of the Qatar Basketball Federation and Director General of the Organizing Committee for the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qatar 2027. Also present were FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis, FIBA Ambassador Carmelo Anthony, Qatari Olympic champion Mutaz Essa Barshim, Qatari and Gulf basketball legend Yaseen Ismail, and the 3x3 Basketball World Champion, along with representatives of the national teams participating in the qualifiers.
The qualifiers will feature 80 countries from various continents, competing for 31 spots in the finals, while the Qatari national team will participate as the host nation. The Asia and Oceania qualifiers include 16 national teams divided into four groups, with Qatar placed in Group D along with Lebanon, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and India.
The draw also outlined the African qualifiers, divided into four groups, as well as the Americas (North and South) and European qualifiers, each with their respective groups. Europe holds the largest share of spots in the World Cup finals, with 12 teams qualifying, compared to seven from the Americas, five from Africa, and seven from Asia and Oceania, in addition to the host nation, Qatar.
The qualifiers will span over 15 months, starting in November 2025 and concluding in March 2027, played in a home-and-away format. Africa will follow a centralized tournament system. There will be six windows of qualifiers, each lasting nine days, during which each team will play two games. FIBA has set specific dates for these qualification windows.
The FIBA Basketball World Cup Qatar 2027 will take place from August 27 to September 12, 2027. This event marks the first time the tournament is held in the Middle East, offering fans from around the world the opportunity to experience a World Cup hosted entirely in a single city, with multiple matches available to attend daily. The tournament will feature 32 national teams, with games played across four main arenas, culminating in the final match at Lusail Arena. This will be Qatar's second appearance in the World Cup, following its debut in the 2006 edition held in Japan.
Qatar was officially announced as the host of the 2027 Basketball World Cup during a meeting in April 2023 in Manila, Philippines, and received the symbolic Basketball World Cup 2027 ball during a ceremony in Manila in September 2023.