Iran to play Lebanon in friendly ahead of FIBA World Cup qualifiers
The Iranian men’s team will face Lebanon in a warmup friendly ahead of the opening window at the FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers, the national governing body of the sport announced.
The game will take place in Beirut, but the exact date is yet to be confirmed.
Iran will begin its qualification campaign against Iraq on November 27 in Zouk Mikael, Lebanon, before facing the West Asian opponent again in the first-round Group C – also featuring Syria and Jordan.
Iran will not be in action in the qualifiers until February 27 next year, when it hosts Jordan.
The top three teams from each of the four first-round groups will advance to the second round of the Asian qualifiers, where they will be divided into two groups of six.
The top three in the two groups will be joined by the best fourth-placed team in securing a berth at the 2027 World Cup in Qatar.
Iran will step into the qualifiers fresh off an impressive run under Greek head coach Sotiris Manolopoulos at the FIBA Asia Cup in August.
The three-time Asian champion defeated Guam (77-52), Japan (78-70), and Syria (82-43) to win the group and progress to the quarterfinals.
Iran then staged a sensational fightback to defeat Chinese Taipei 78-75 but was outclassed 92-48 by eventual champion Australia in the semifinals.
Manolopoulos’ men bounced back to overcome New Zealand 79-73, securing a consolation bronze medal in Saudi Arabia.