MIES (Switzerland) - The 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup may be nearly two years away, but the buzz has already begun thanks to the opening window of the various Continental Qualifiers tipping off across the globe.
Within the Asian Qualifiers, the games tip off on November 27, and all 16 teams from Asia Cup 2025 will be raring to make a strong first impression.
A couple of early wins will relieve the pressure of qualifying, while losses would force teams to play catch-up, the rest of the way.
With each side facing each other twice in the same window – home and away, expect initial outbursts and quick adjustments. Here’s our must-see matchups list, from least expected to traditional rivalries.
Mark your calendars!
GUAM VS PHILIPPINES (GROUP A)
Friday, November 28 – 19:00 (GMT+10) Monday, December 1 – 19:30 (GMT+8)
Guam have finally made it to their first World Cup Qualifiers. Some games are most than just the results, and Guam vs Philippines is one of them. Arguably one of Guam’s biggest games in their international basketball history, expect fireworks to fly when they take on their cross-Pacific friendly rivals.
Interestingly, Guam could boast of some players with strong Filipino connects - Jericho Cruz, and the Grape brothers (Aljurrell and Alschea) - in their ranks, making a home-away-from-home appearance in the reverse leg on December 1 in Quezon City, one to especially watch out for.
IRAQ VS IRAN (GROUP C)
Thursday, November 27 – 16:00 (GMT+2) Sunday, November 30 - 16:00 (GMT+2)
An underrated matchup, Iraq vs Iran usually flies under the radar because of the dominance of the latter. But when the two teams face off later this month, history will favor the Iraqis, for it would mark almost exactly eight years since their last upset, on November 25, 2017.
No doubt, a lot of water has flowed through the Tigris and Euphratis since then, but with Iran in a bit of decline in recent form, the #BallersOfBaghdad will be itching to etch their names in the record books - again.
QATAR VS LEBANON (GROUP D)
Thursday, November 27 – 19:00 (GMT+3) Sunday, November 30 – 21:00 (GMT+2)
As World Cup 2027 hosts, Qatar have made their grand basketball intentions and ambitions abundantly clear. Standing in their way though are the Cedars. Arguably the top teams on the Western side of Asia over the past decade, Lebanon will start their campaign with the pedigree of having qualified for the previous World Cup.
Their final standing might have left more to be desired, but the Cedars remain heavy favorites in a Group D that also features Saudi Arabia and India.
Still, Qatar and Lebanon have played each other in close games in the past and you don't even have to go too far back. The two sides just faced each other this past summer with Lebanon barely edging out Qatar, 84-80, in the Asia Cup.
On top of all this, when you also factor in the pure love for basketball and their national team in Lebanon, and Qataris’ eagerness to prove their hosting chops, you have the perfect cocktail for a stadium-packed high octane environment.
JAPAN VS CHINESE TAIPEI (GROUP B)
Friday, November 28 – 19:05 (GMT+9) Monday, December 1 – 19:00 (GMT+8)
Japan’s 2025 Asia Cup campaign did not go as planned - to put it mildly - as AKATSUKI JAPAN finished ninth. Chinese Taipei on the other hand impressed with a fifth place standing, matching its best finish in 12 years.
But beyond recent form alone, these are two rising Asian teams promising a mouth-watering Group B clash with long-term implications for the region's power rankings.
These two sides faced off have played against each other in all World Cup Qualifiers since the implementation of the new qualification system in 2017, so their November 28 and December 1 meetups are absolute ‘must-not-miss’ fares.
CHINA VS KOREA (GROUP B)
Friday, November 28 – 19:30 (GMT+8) Monday, December 1 – 19:00 (GMT+9)
The first of our two ‘traditional’ rivalries we are spotlighting, China vs Korea will be a rematch of their 2025 Asia Cup Quarter-Finals where China prevailed, 79-71.
This time around too, it would rightly appear that the reigning Asia Cup runners-up are favorites. But the risk of sounding superstitious, their past nine matchups reveal an unbroken pattern of alternating wins and losses dating back to 2011.
If this trend continues to hold, an unlikely upset is in order.
Don't forget that Korea are once again expected to line up their superstar Lee Hyunjung who recorded 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists against China in Jeddah.
AUSTRALIA VS NEW ZEALAND (GROUP A)
Friday, November 28 – 19:30 (GMT+11) Monday, December 1 – 19:00 (GMT+13)
The only reason we placed this matchup last in our list is because of Australia’s historic dominance over their Trans-Tasmanian neighbors. But quality wise, Oceania’s two top teams are undeniably top-notch.
The Tall Blacks pulled off a historic upset against the Boomers back in the Asia Cup 2022 Qualifiers and more than have the potential to do so again.
Overall the sides have met 59 times across all major competitions, with Australia holding a decisive 21-5 record in most recent head-to-head games.
But this is the first time the two teams will be meeting at the World Cup Qualifiers stage and the stakes have rarely been bigger.
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