MIES (Switzerland) - The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers is just a few days away, and there's no better time to get the lowdown on the competing teams hoping to begin the road to Qatar on the right foot.
Now, we take a closer look at the participants from Groups A and B, particularly on what we can expect from these eight squads - and which players could spell the difference in Window 1 set November 27-December 1.
Group A
Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Guam
Familiarity breeds contempt, as they say, and that's the case for Group A as Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines have grown so accustomed with one another given the amount of times they've battled.
But of course, the Boomers are coming in as the heavy favorites in this pool being the defending three-time Asia Cup champions, although we can't ignore one bit the kind of threat that the Tall Blacks and Gilas impose.
It's worth noting also that these three programs have been in at least the last three editions of the World Cup, making Group A all the more interesting - especially if we could witness monumental upsets once more.
It could be recalled that New Zealand pulled off a 108-98 stunner against Australia during the Asia Cup Qualifiers back in 2020, and so it would be nice to see if they could do it again albeit in a far bigger stage.
Much of the attention will be on these troika but lest we forget that also part of this bunch are newcomers Guam, a team that's headed to their first-ever World Cup Qualifiers. Can they shake things up? That we have to see.
The favorite: Australia Key matchup: Australia versus New Zealand The underdog: Guam
Players to watch: All four are coming in with key members of their squads that competed in the 2025 Asia Cup in Jeddah but have also brought in some additional talent to bolster their bids in an attempt to reach Qatar.
Arguably the most interesting among them, though, comes from the Philippines, who are trying to address star big man Kai Sotto's absence by bringing in an intriguing prospect by the name of Quentin Millora-Brown.
They've also brought in somebody who's been exposed to FIBA play when he was younger in Juan Gomez de Liano, who's back for another tour of duty for the first time since the previous World Cup cycle.
But of course, we can't overlook Team Australia. They'll be bannered by no less than Jaylin Galloway, who was crowned the TISSOT Most Valuable Player of the recent Asia Cup for helping make the 'three-peat' possible.
Team | FIBA World Ranking, presented by NIKE |
Australia | 6th |
New Zealand | 25th |
Philippines | 37th |
Guam | 81st |
Group B
Japan, China, Korea, Chinese Taipei
Countless stories have been written among these age-old East Asian rivals and newer chapters will be authored in the World Cup Qualifiers as Japan, China, Korea, and Chinese Taipei are all set to duke it out once more.
The quartet are coming off a 2025 Asia Cup run in which all of them managed to reach the Final Phase, with Team Dragon going all the way to the Big Dance before settling for a silver medal behind the mighty Aussies.
Korea and Chinese Taipei made it to the Quarter-Finals while Japan bowed out of the Qualification to Quarter-Finals, and those exits would surely fuel their bid in booking a return trip to basketball's biggest stage.
But probably the hungriest of them all are Chinese Taipei, as the program hasn't been to the World Cup since 1959. Will this upcoming cycle see the team that's in the midst of some renaissance change the narrative?
The favorite: China Key matchup: Japan versus Chinese Taipei The underdog: Korea
Players to watch: Making Chinese Taipei even more exciting to watch out for is the arrival of Joe Lin - yes, the brother of a certain global icon best known (and still is) for the 'Linsanity' run several years ago.
Lin has been one of Chinese Taipei's best players given his body of work in the domestic club scene and him potentially bringing his exploits to the FIBA stage should make this squad on the come-up even better.
China are coming in with a solid pool as well. Although Wang Junjie is out as he's in the US, Coach Guo Shiqiang has called back guys like Zeng Fanbo and the seasoned Zhou Qi, to name some, for Window 1.
Japan, on the other hand, will now be captained by Yuta Watanabe as Coach Tom Hovasse and his staff have entrusted such a role to the former NBA vet, who's been one of their leaders in their last two Olympic trips.
Korea, lastly, are entering their first World Cup Qualifiers without Ra Guna but young stars like Lee Hyunjung are more than ready to steer the wheel for a program hoping to return to the World Cup since doing so in 2019.
Team | FIBA World Ranking, presented by NIKE |
Japan | 22nd |
China | 27th |
Korea | 56th |
Chinese Taipei | 67th |
FIBA