MIES (Switzerland) - Window 1 of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers has come to a close, and so there's no better time than now to assess how all 16 teams stood after the four-day competitions.
After a stretch that witnessed dominant sweeps and massive upsets and everything in between, we take a look at which sides made the big leap and who dropped in Volume 2 of our Power Rankings, presented by SMART.
16. Syria ⬇️2️⃣
Syria bowed to Jordan twice and their rematch last Sunday at the Prince Hamza Hall in Amman was a tough pill to swallow. There, they were almost single-handedly destroyed by Jalen Harris, who erupted for 42 points - a performance which nearly set new records - to power the Falcons to a convincing 100-48 victory.
But the bright side to being 16th in the SMART Power Ranking, if there was one, is that there's only one way to go and that's up.
15. India ⬆️1️⃣
India struggled to put up a gallant stand and lost to Saudi Arabia in their two meetings. They suffered a 75-51 beatdown in their first encounter at the Green Hall in Riyadh, and then failed to protect homecourt and lost via rout as well, 81-57, at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.
This is a young team, for sure. But the youngsters will need to step up soon in order for India to get their first World Cup Qualifiers win.
14. Guam ⬇️2️⃣
Welcome to the World Cup Qualifiers, Guam.
The debutants showed great enthusiasm in their opening home game in what they had considered the "biggest basketball game ever played in Guam", but they were clearly a step behind at this point.
In fairness, Guam did show some fight in their second clash at the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City, but that wasn't enough as they still went on to absorb a 95-71 defeat, falling to 0-2 in Group A.
13. Iraq ⬆️2️⃣
Iraq also lost both of their assignments in the opening window to Iran in Group C. Their second game could be some source of hope for the next window. The crew was going toe-to-toe with Team Melii early until they caught an unlucky break when Abdullah Alibraheemi went down with an injury.
12. Chinese Taipei ⬇️7️⃣
There was a lot of excitement surrounding Chinese Taipei coming into the Asian Qualifiers, especially after the strides they hit the past few months - highlighted by a Quarter-Final finish in the 2025 Asia Cup. But their bubble burst badly when they got swept by Japan in the recent window, including a 90-64 rout in Kobe.
Of course, Chinese Taipei might be still missing some pieces and the crowd was engaged in their home game - so don't expect them to stop putting up a fight.
11. China ⬇️8️⃣
But arguably the most surprising twist of Window 1 was China's unlikely position after the games. With fans and pundits alike full of optimism that the traditional contenders are back in their element after copping silver in the 2025 Asia Cup, Team Dragon were left stunned as they got swept by long-time rivals Korea.
Don't expect China to be hanging around in the bottom half of the Power Rankings for too long though. They - and their fans - know how good they can be at their best and this might be the nudge to get them back in that form.
10. Lebanon ⬇️4️⃣
Streaks do end at some point and that was the case for Lebanon in this window. After asserting their mastery of Qatar over the last 10 years, the Cedars fell to an 86-83 decision against the 2027 World Cup hosts.
And making it even tougher to fathom was the fact that they lost in their very own turf in Zouk Mikael. That stung, for sure, as they have had such an advantage playing at home over almost an entire decade.
They were one Yoyo Khayat basket away from going winless in this window though. The Cedars can still be the best team in their group, but this window was probably not their best showing.
9. New Zealand ⬇️5️⃣
It's tough to put the Tall Blacks here. They were potentially one Davo Hickey away from going undefeated in this window against World Cup contenders and rivals Australia. So close. So. Close.
But, in the end, the reality is that they are 0-2 after the first window.
This was the toughest test, on paper, for New Zealand, maybe they can see it as getting over it as fast as they can. They should have more favorable matchups in the upcoming windows and that should be what they need to focus on.
For now, fans will just have to drown out those Hickey game-winners replays with this Sam Mennenga poster.
8. Saudi Arabia ⬆️3️⃣
Clearly, Saudi Arabia are keen on sustaining the gains they had from hosting the Asia Cup. With Coach Ali Alsanhani back at the helm once more, the team refused to fall into complacency whatsoever and put up dominant performances on the way to sweeping India to take the solo lead in Group D.
Alsuwailem and Abdur-Rahkman are studs and they've built up some confident with these big wins, but they have to be aware that it will get tougher moving forward.
7. Jordan ⬆️3️⃣
Coach Roy Rana finally got himself a solid start with Jordan in his second FIBA competition. Thanks to Harris, as mentioned above, and with Falcons cornerstones such as Ahmad Al Dwairi returning like they never left, the West Asian side have begun their bid of qualifying to Qatar on a rousing note with a sweep of the Syrians.
Taking a moment here to congratulate Ahmad Alhamarsheh on playing his 100th FIBA game for Jordan by helping his team score 100 points to close out the leg. A solid career for the veteran.
6. Qatar ⬆️7️⃣
After pulling off arguably one of the biggest upset in Asian basketball in a decade, the Qataris have made Group D more competitive as they're now sitting at second. And confidence should be at an all-time high for the side of Coach Hakan Demir as their aim of building the best possible squad for 2027 has shown significant progress.
Don't forget: Qatar were one Goodwin-turnover-converted-to-Youssef-Khatay layup away from starting this campaign unscatched. Maybe it's time we forget about what happened at Asia Cup and accept that this is a brand new team out to prove themselves for 2027.
5. Iran ⬇️3️⃣
What made Iran even more exciting to watch was the return of Behnam Yakhchali. They kept basically (most of) the team that won bronze in the 2025 Asia Cup - led by Arsalan Kazemi and Sina Vahedi - and then brought in the star guard for Window 1. The result? A sweep of Iraq, and a share of the Group C lead with the Jordanians.
What makes Iran even more terrifying is that they did this without Mohammad Amini - who was announced injured before the window. Once they bring him back into the mix, they will surely be better.
They're sliding down here not because of how they played, but more relative to how the other rising teams performed against tougher opponents.
4. Philippines ⬆️4️⃣
Still without Kai Sotto, the Philippines dominated Guam in a pair of wins that saw them make and match records - from resetting the all-time Asian Qualifiers single-game mark in rebounds, to tying the blocks which they set in 2017, Window 1 offered renewed hope for a Gilas program that's gradually ushering in a fresh new era.
Tougher games are ahead for Gilas, facing the Tall Blacks and the Boomers, but they've done their job to dominate this window.
3. Japan ⬆️6️⃣
Nearly everybody expected a tight two-game series to occur between Japan and Chinese Taipei, but the former flipped the script and went on to sweep the window. Yuta Watanabe sure did extremely well being the new captain, and that should make the next windows all the more exciting when guys like Yuki Kawamura are hopeful to return to action.
The team didn't disappoint - and neither did the fans in brnging an electric atmosphere to Kobe.
2. Korea ⬆️5️⃣
What a statement and what a window this was for Korea - who missed World Cup 2023.
Never have Korea ever beaten China twice in a row in FIBA play, but that changed this 2025 when they did just that against the long-time powerhouse. After nearly collapsing in their duel in Beijing, the Koreans went on to win in convincing fashion at home in Wonju in their rematch to show that their earlier victory was no fluke.
Did we mention yet that it was historic?
1. Australia ⏸️
William. David. Davo. Hickey.
Take a bow.
FIBA