MIES (Switzerland) - Another window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers is coming in closer and closer, but this one holds a bit more weight as it is the commencement of the Second Round.
Twelve teams remain on track in the Road to Qatar and each of them will have new opponents to face, bringing with them the triumphs and lessons - and records, yes - from the exciting First Round of action.
And with Window 4 fast approaching, we take another look at how the competitors appear thus far in another edition of the often-discussed Power Rankings, presented by SMART. Read on and see if you agree.
12. Saudi Arabia ⬇️1️⃣
Record: 3-3
Saudi Arabia are in the midst of yet another rebuilding phase. Just last August 8, the previous Asia Cup hosts announced the appointment of a new head coach in Daniel Maffei from Argentina, making it interesting to see how quick the players have adapted to his system in this window. Still, it's practically the same set of players expected to suit up in the games ahead, with veteran big man Mohammed Almarwani listed in the training camp roster once more to mark his return to the men's team after suffering an ACL injury late last year.
11. Syria ⬆️1️⃣
Record: 2-4
Syria are running it back with the same talents that helped the program advance to the Second Round, but they could have additional firepower. The team from West Asia had added James Justice, Jr. to their preliminary roster, and his potential FIBA debut shall arm the crew an elite scorer who punished defenses at the club. Justice starred for Al Wahda SC during the 2025-26 West Asia Super League, averaging 24.7 points on 57.7-percent shooting, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in 6 games. Will he be as impactful as Donte McGill? That we have to see.
10. Korea ⬇️1️⃣
Record: 3-3
It remains uncertain whether star winger Lee Hyunjung will suit up for Korea. And as if that uncertainty isn't big enough, the East Asian contenders will have to make do without Choi Junyong. The veteran forward, who starred in their 81-79 come-from-behind win versus Japan to book their ticket to the Second Round, announced last July that he's leaving scene in the Korean Basketball to go to the USA to pursue his lifelong dream of playing in the NBA. And so far, things haven't been A-OK for Korea with a depleted lineup, having lost both of their tuneup games against a souped-up Japan team in Tokyo this past weekend. How will Coach Nikolajs Mazurs rally his men?
9. Jordan ⬇️2️⃣
Record: 5-1
Like Saudi Arabia, Jordan are coming into Window 4 with a new head coach in tow. Last August 10, the Falcons announced their hiring of Luis Guil Torres, marking the third time in the last 14 months that they switched coaches - they let go of Roy Rana and brought back Wesam Al-Sous prior to Window 3, and then changed the latter again by bringing in the Spaniard mentor.
They competed in the William Jones Cup and are experiencing some growing pains together after absorbing tough losses, including one against Malaysia - who will be playing in the FIBA Asia Cup 2029 Pre-Qualifiers. With the Philippines and Australia awaiting them in Window 4, will the Jordanians be able to get their act together in time?
8. Philippines ⬆️2️⃣
Record: 2-4
The Philippines are perhaps one of the worst teams form-wise entering the Second Round, as they haven't won again since a two-game sweep of Guam in Window 1. Now in the midst of a 4-game losing slide, Gilas have become a desperate bunch, with almost little to no error to commit if they are to at least give themselves a shot at qualifying for the World Cup for a third straight time.
Fortunately for the Southeast Asian powerhouse, help has arrived in the form of Kai Sotto, who finally rejoined the team for the first time since Window 2 of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers back in November 2024. With Jordan and Iran - teams that they share a bit of history with - in their calendar, expect the Filipino dribblers to play with renewed hope with the 'Kaiju' around.
7. China ⬆️1️⃣
Record: 3-3
Yang Hansen is at least in the training pool of China for Window 4 but whether or not the Portland Trail Blazer suits up, the perennial contenders are still coming in with hardly any rust. After Window 3, they remained active by partaking in a series of exhibition games at home - from the International Solidarity Cup, to their most recent set of exhibition games in which they went up with Uruguay and a New Zealand Select Team. They did pick up some victories along the way, too, as Coach Guo Shiqiang is without a doubt trying to prime his men for bigger battles that await them.
6. Qatar ⏸️
Record: 4-2
After facing their fellow West Asia teams in the First Round, Qatar will soon be locking horns with perennial Asian powerhouses China and Japan this Window 4. While daunting, that nonetheless presents a fresh opportunity for the 2027 World Cup hosts to see where they are as a group, with basketball's biggest spectacle just about a year away from now.
In fact, Qatar will be opening Window 4 against the visiting Team Dragon at the Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, which is also history in itself. One of the signature venues of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will host basketball for the first time following its transformation into an enclosed, dedicated basketball arena with a seating capacity of 8,200. It will also serve as one of the venues hosting the World Cup 2027 games next year.
And we shall never forget that they're still retaining the confidence they garnered from a successful First Round, in which they finished with a 4-2 record - their best record in the World Cup Qualifiers as they have doubled their win total from the 2019 edition, in which they ultimately finished at 2-10.
5. Iran ⏸️
Record: 5-1
Iran are coming in as one of the hottest teams in the competition. They're in the midst of a three-game winning streak with the veterans leading the way, including Arsalan Kazemi who to this day continues to amaze many with his versatility on both ends of the floor.
Add to that the fact that they have previously shown how to beat their Group E adversaries in the past, and they're surely looking to repeat particularly against New Zealand and the Philippines in the window ahead.
4. Lebanon ⬇️2️⃣
Record: 5-1
They did manage to make do without Wael Arakji in conquering Window 3 but the star guard won't be around this window - and perhaps even all the way to the end of this World Cup Qualifiers. The 32-year-old unfortunately suffered an ACL injury during the 2026 Lebanese Basketball League Finals between his Al Riyadi and Sagesse SC, leaving Coach Ahmad Farran without one of his most reliable players for a significant amount of time.
However, the program seem to be bringing in a new big man in DJ Funderburk into the mix this window. So, it remains to be seen how his addition would help the Lebanese, making Window 4 an acid test for him, especially as they're going up against Korea and China.
3. New Zealand ⬆️1️⃣
Record: 4-2
New Zealand are heading into Window 4 as one of the Asian Qualifiers' hottest teams with a 4-game winning streak. But if that isn't enough for the other teams to feel worried, the Tall Blacks have called back veteran guard Corey Webster, as they're obviously ramping things up to bolster their World Cup bid. Webster played well in a tune-up game against China, playing with a Select team that feature three other players listed in New Zealand's roster.
Another layer that shall pique the interest of fans is the inclusion of a pair of brothers in the 12-man lineup - Corey will be playing with Tai, with the Cameron brothers in Flynn and Tobias doing exactly the same. Per Basketball New Zealand, this is the second time in Tall Blacks history that two sets of brothers have featured in the same squad, and so it would be interesting to see how this kind of familial familiarity would help the team in the games ahead.
2. Japan ⬆️1️⃣
Record: 4-2
Potentially for the first time in this World Cup Qualifiers, Japan will be parading both of their NBA guys as Rui Hachimura and Yuki Kawamura are included to their 17-man training camp roster. This marks the first since the 2024 Paris Olympics that the two will suit up for the national team, and they gave yet another glimpse of how good the squad could be when they're together after leading the Japanese to a rout of Korea in the first of two exhibition games just last weekend in Tokyo. A
This could also be a peek of a potential fun combination in the 2026-27 NBA season as they've both been signed by the Los Angeles Clippers in the last two months. They're expected to make their FIBA comeback side-by-side against Saudi Arabia in Jeddah and that should become one of the games we should watch out for, in the event that they get included to the final 12-man lineup of Coach Dai Oketani.
1. Australia ⏸️
Record: 6-0
There should be little to no explanation why Australia remained on top of our SMART Power Rankings. They're the only unbeaten team of the ongoing Asian Qualifiers - and one of the few undefeated teams across all Qualifiers - and they surely have zero plans of stopping anytime soon.
With games against Syria and Jordan, whom they've beaten twice in the past by the way, the Boomers will be banking on familiarity and experience once again to stretch this perfect run to eight games, similar to what they did during the previous World Cup Qualifiers.
DISCLAIMER: The Power Rankings are completely subjective and in no way represent an official or precise ranking system. All comments reflect the author’s opinions.
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