CALI (Colombia) – Chile secured their place in the Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Americas Qualifiers with a 78-66 victory over Venezuela. The win capped off a perfect Window 3, allowing the Chilean team to reach the decisive stage of the Americas Qualifiers for the first time in history and keep their dream of qualifying for FIBA’s flagship event alive. Felipe Haase narrowly missed a double-double with 14 points and 9 rebounds and was Chile’s standout performer. The victory also marked the country's first-ever back-to-back wins in the World Cup Americas Qualifiers, after entering this window with an 0-4 record.
Sebastián Herrera also delivered a strong performance for Chile with 12 points against a Venezuelan squad that struggled offensively, particularly from beyond the arc, where they made just 5 of 32 three-point attempts for a dismal 16 percent. Herrera had also been instrumental in Chile’s opening game of the window against Colombia, sparking an 11-0 run with 1:52 remaining and scoring 8 points during that stretch as Chile rallied for an 81-79 victory. That sequence kept the team’s qualification hopes alive heading into this decisive game. La Roja finished the First Round with a 2-4 record, which was enough to secure one of the top three spots in Group C. With Brazil and Chile now qualified, the final Group C spot remains up for grabs between Colombia and Venezuela. If Colombia defeats Brazil on Monday, they will advance to the Second Round. If the Colombians lose, the final qualification spot will be decided in their rescheduled Window 1 matchup against Venezuela, which will be played on July 8.
FIBA