MIES (Switzerland) - The 12-team cast for the much anticipated Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers have been finalized after the First Round came to a close on Monday, July 6.
Group B teams China and Korea completed the picture following impressive wins in the third window's final day, making sure that their hopes of reaching Qatar for the sport's most prestigious spectacle remain alive.
China became the 11th team to reach the next phase following a 92-74 victory over Chinese Taipei, and Korea followed suit after a pulsating 81-79 escape versus Japan. Both games were held in Goyang, Korea.
As a result, the two are joining 2027 World Cup hosts Qatar, Australia, the Philippines, Iran, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, and Japan in the next Window, which commences this August.
Australia, who eventually finished the First Round as the only unbeaten team with a 6-0 record, and fellow Group A side Philippines were the first to advance as early as the second window back in March.
Come the recently concluded third window, the Second Round picture took form, with squads from Groups C and D in Jordan, Iran, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria claiming their tickets one after the other.
New Zealand became the third and last team from Group A to secure their slot following a double overtime game versus the Philippines, before Japan ended up as the first from Group B to move on by routing China.
That result contributed in setting up a thrilling finish for the final two spots to the Second Round, which eventually went to China and Korea - teams that have been hoping to return to the Olympics Games as well.
The field of teams in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers' Second Round is as follows:
Group E: Australia, Iran, Jordan, New Zealand, Philippines, Syria
Group F: Lebanon, Japan, Qatar, Korea, China, Saudi Arabia
The 12 teams will be pooled into two groups of six in the Second Round. Teams from Groups A and Group C will converge to form Group E, while Group F will be composed of teams from Groups B and D.
All teams will carry over the results from the First Round, ensuring every single game has meaning in the Road to Qatar 2027.
To check the complete standings in each group after the First Round, click here.
Each team will play home-and-away against the three coming from the other group over three more windows in August 2026, November 2026, and February 2027, with two games per team being played in each window.
At the end of these additional six games per team, the top three teams along with the best fourth team in addition to Qatar from each group will qualify to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027.
The qualification process follows the FIBA Competition System successfully used for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 and the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023., won by Spain and Germany, respectively.
FIBA