MIES (Switzerland) - As far as Groups C and D are concerned, even before Window 3 began, the teams progressing to the Second Round of the Asian Qualifiers were mostly decided.
That hasn't prevented drama from unfolding on Game Day 5, with Iran getting a revenge win over Jordan, Syria holding off Iraq, Saudi Arabia beating Lebanon and Qatar facing some first half heat against India.
As we call curtains with a final slate of four games on July 5, one of the big question now is: can Iraq and India finally break their 0-5 losing streak in these World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers?
On the other end of the spectrum, can Iran (Group C) and Lebanon (Group D) be dethroned from the top of their standings?
What to expect
Action commences on July 5 with Syria taking on Iran in Amman at 4:30 pm local time.
This will be immediately followed by Saudi Arabia versus Qatar in Jeddah, from 6 pm local time.
Simultaneously, India will host their second straight game in Ahmedabad, now against Lebanon.
To cap things off, Jordan will look to go 2-0 over Iraq, again in Amman, tipping off at 7:30 pm local time.
Did You Know?
Iran have won their previous three meetings with Syria in the World Cup qualifiers, conceding fewer than 70 points on each occasion.
Donte Lamont Mc Gill (Syria) became on Thursday the first player in the Asia region to play the full 40 minutes in multiple games during these World Cup 2027 Qualifiers (2 games). He is averaging 26.7 points per game and had made 2+ steals in each of his three appearances in the competition.
Qatar have won three of their last four games in the World Cup Qualifiers, but their sole defeat in that span happened precisely against Saudi Arabia in the reverse fixture (80-86).
Mohammed Alsuwailem (Saudi Arabia) has had 20+ points, 13+ rebounds and 2+ blocks in each of his last two games in the World Cup Qualifiers, including in the reverse fixture against Qatar (20 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks). He has had 20+ points, 10+ rebounds and 2+ blocks in three games in the competition, a joint-high alongside Guna Ra.
Lebanon have won all their five games against India in the World Cup Qualifiers, with all those encounters ending with margins of 29 or more points and with the Lebanese scoring 90+ points in each occasion.
India are still trying to grab their first victory in the World Cup Qualifiers, losing their 21 previous games in the competition; India were leading at half-time against Qatar this Thursday, their first time reaching half-time in a leading position in the competition.
Jordan lost 49-67 against Iran on Thursday, their first World Cup Qualifiers game with fewer than 60 points scored but have not lost consecutive games in a single window since November- December 2018.
Iraq have lost their last six games in the World Cup Qualifiers but scored 81 points in the last one, against Syria (81-91), their best total in a game in the Qualifiers.
Who you got?
FIBA