SUWON (Korea) - Saudi Arabia may have come up short against Korea, but Mohammed Alsuwailem produced a performance that will live in the Asian Qualifiers record books. The towering center was virtually unstoppable at both ends of the floor, piling up 31 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and a steal while shooting an outstanding 11-of-13 from the field and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line.
Alsuwailem's efficiency was the real headline. His remarkable night translated into a 42 EFF rating, the highest single-game efficiency mark recorded so far in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Qualifiers across all regions.
More impressively, the performance has the Saudi Arabian big man tied for seventh all-time for single-game efficiency in the Qualifiers, putting him among some of the most spectacular individual performances the competition has ever seen.
All-Time Top 10 EFF in single World Cup Qualifiers game
Rank | Date | Team | Against | Player | EFF |
1 | 9/17/2018 | Korea | Syria | Guna RA | 59 |
2 | 7/1/2018 | Korea | Hong Kong | Guna RA | 58 |
3 | 2/24/2022 | Iceland | Italy | Tryggvi Hlinason | 50 |
4 | 2/24/2019 | Philippines | Kazakhstan | Andray Blatche | 49 |
5 | 2/27/2022 | Iran | Syria | Mohammad Jamshidi | 48 |
6 | 12/3/2018 | Japan | Kazakhstan | Nicholas Fazekas | 45 |
7 | 31/8/2026 | Saudi Arabia | Korea | Mohammed Alsuwailem | 42 |
| 2/27/2023 | Philippines | Jordan | Justin Brownlee | 42 |
8 | 2/24/2019 | China | Syria | Qi Zhou | 42 |
9 | 2/26/2023 | Egypt | South Sudan | Amr Elgendy | 41 |
10 | 11/30/2025 | Jordan | Syria | Jalen Cole Harris | 40 |
= | 11/26/2021 | Iran | Bahrain | Arsalan Kazemi | 40 |
It is another milestone for a player who has established himself as one of Saudi Arabia's most reliable forces in recent years. He has been truly among the most productive players in the Asian Qualifers so far, averaging 30.7 EFF across his seven appearances, underscoring just how important he is for Saudi Arabia.
Mohammed Alsuwailem in World Cup 2027 Qualifiers
Game(s) | Min | PTS | FG | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | +/- | EFF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
26 | 16 | 6/7 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 28 | |
27 | 8 | 3/5 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 28 | 18 | |
38 | 20 | 7/7 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 35 | |
38 | 20 | 6/8 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -4 | 35 | |
39 | 15 | 6/9 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 2 | -4 | 23 | |
36 | 19 | 7/10 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 0 | -17 | 34 | |
38 | 31 | 11/13 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 0 | -10 | 42 |
And yet, the numbers came in a losing effort. Korea prevailed in the Second Round clash, meaning Alsuwailem's extraordinary display could not ultimately translate into a Saudi victory. Still, the 31-point explosion showcased virtually everything that makes the 208 cm / 6'10" center such a difficult matchup -- efficient finishing around the basket, an ability to clean the glass and enough passing touch to punish defenses when they collapse on him.
The performance also adds another chapter to Alsuwailem's already impressive international résumé. He was selected to the Asian Qualifiers All-Star Five after the First Round, having averaged 15.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists on 77.8 percent shooting.
His latest outing suggests that those numbers may only be the beginning of what the Saudi big man can produce as the Second Round unfolds.
For one night, the result belonged to Korea. A place in the record book, however, belonged to Mohammed Alsuwailem.
FIBA